Silo Poem
The round barn silo had developed
a crack; Dad decided to try out a
new form of silo – one on the ground.
A space was dug beside the path to
the creek, cemented, needed only sides
in order to be filled with silage. Time
after time the farm workers raised cement
panels only to have them slip down before
they could be secured into place. Dad
studied the ongoing problem, finally
said, "Lay the panels slanted on their sides,
they don't need to be upright." This solved
the situation. My dad told me, "They are
lying now at what is called 'the angle of
repose' – complete comfort! I should have
thought of it from the start." Even now, in
my elder years I think of how often we could
solve many problems with "the angle of repose."
2023 Jacqueline Jackson
