A Poem by Cathy Schwabe
In that first morning of the snowstorm
when all were still tucked tight in bed,
the power went out across Rose Villa
for each of us to learn with some dread.
As we woke, each and every one of us,
be it at dawn, or much later that day,
we found our homes steadily cooling
and no hot drink of any kind to be made.
By noon, or maybe by late afternoon,
when it was known that the outage spared few,
all with power were called to inquire,
could they take in a guest or two?
Those without power were offered the option
to leave their frigid units behind,
some left for homes, off campus and on,
some stayed put, but in blankets entwined.
Once lodging was sorted for all,
RoseVillains next thought of food,
soon the folks in our kitchen like magic,
provided us hot drinks and stew.
Meals made in low light, in pots washed by hand,
were delivered by staff of all levels,
and residents fired up their ranges and grills,
to make soup of all kinds in big kettles.
Command central was the front of the PAC,
from which even more staff oversaw
home checks or transport to the PAC’s back,
where folks charged their phones as they thawed.
The cold temps were also combatted,
from a hot drink cart always kept filled
to which extras were sometimes added,
from roving drink carts to ward off our chills.
As the snow became ice, piled high on our roofs,
as branches fell, and ice sheets gave way,
our community was there for each other,
In more ways than can be conveyed.
Thanks to everyone on our Rose Villa team,
Thanks to Bremik, to all who live and work here,
it took each of us joining together,
to face what we’ve managed, that’s clear.
The challenge of these 12 months has been great.
We’ve faced more than we could’ve foreseen,
from high winds with smoke, to days without power,
from ice storms during COVID, to the wait for vaccines.
If we’ve learned anything in this time, it is this:
there is nothing that can be thrown our way
we can’t tackle together with great success
As Rose Villains have shown these past days.