Opinion : The Fright before Publishing

Twas an hour before publishing, and all through the house

All the creatures were stirring, maybe even a mouse.

The Veggie Tales playing in the player so dear,

In hopes that the Sand Man soon might appear.

The children were nestled all snug on the rug,
With visions of Bob and Larry and some thugs,
And mamma and pappa on computers at desks,
Had just settled our brains for a long morning's task.

When over by the couch there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my desk to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Grabbed all the children, one by her sash.

The rain on the window did fall, it did go,
It watered my plants and the weeds down below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But lightning and wind from the front to the rear.

With a pop and a crack, and a jump oh so quick,
I knew in a moment it wasn't St Nick.
More rapid than eagles the lighning it came,
I hollered and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Abigail, Liana and Ari for short!
I don't know what happened, let's go, was my report!
To the other room where there's nothing but wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So off to the room, as one they flew,
With their toys and a bottle, and grandma too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the phone
The sound of lightning as it rattled our bones.
As I ducked my head, and was turning around,
Down from the sky that lightning was bound.

It reminded me of a grandma that was hit in the foot,
Her clothes were not tarnished with ashes or soot.
Nor was she hit in the head or the back,
But was sitting by the door during a lightning attack.

The storms, I usually think, are fun and merry,
This took a turn for the worse and yelled, "Don't tarry!"
When suddenly we heard, and we saw with our eyes,

The sound of lightning and we knew something was fried.

The stump of our machine with the phone right beside,
And the smoke it encircled well, we knew it had died.
The kids they all shook, and all rightly so,
If the lightning had hit just a little below,

Our chubby and plump, a right jolly little selves,
Were all okay, but scared in spite of ourselves!
A wink of my eye and a twist of my head,
Reassuring the kids, we had nothing to dread.

I spoke a few words, and went straight back to work,
And filled all the stories, so as not to shirk.
And laying my fingers astride the keyboard,
I remember the word is mightier than sword!

I then hit publish and gave a whistle,
Away stories flew like the down of a thistle.
Then I exclaimed, ‘ere they flew out of sight,
"Happy reading to all, and to all a good byte."