My outdated landline saved me from a power cut

When the power went down

My Rayburn still burned oil

To cook and boil, as layers of snow settled

Mutely white on the treetops,

Until the branches snapped beneath the weight

Of too much frozen water

To make logs for later.

I carried flasks of tea to elders

Cut off without warmth

Or a fibre optic phone call;

Backup mobile batteries

Failed to find invisible networks

While the broadband was elsewhere

In a place beyond helplines.

My outdated landline

Received power outage updates

In the absence of other news,

While our vulnerabilities flapped about us

Like tatty coats in the slow cold

Of twenty-four hours.