Emergency Preparedness

by Jennifer Mills Kerr


take a toothbrush
take a flashlight 
take your child’s hand
take your passport
take your prayers 
take your wedding band 
take comfort in 
your sheltered heart
the love you carry within
take comfort in passing time 
your contact list, your breath
take comfort in your packed bag
your ability to plan
though the night is hot and 
you have far to go
you will arrive-- 
time makes it so--
now breathe
now pray 
now take your child’s hand
though the night is hot and 
you have far to go
take comfort in
your sheltered heart
the love you carry within


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Jennifer Mills Kerr is a writer and poet living in Lake County, California. An East Coast native, she loves mild winters, anything Jane Austen, and the raucous coast of Northern California.