Sarah Nigbor

‘Twas the night before deadline

And all through the house

Everyone was sleeping,

Not Sarah, typing quiet as a mouse

She’s been up since five

But the printers don’t care

They want the paper on time

Not late, don’t you dare.

Her eyes droop as the village board

debates digesters, policies and P-cards

She comes wide awake

When a man yells “not in my backyard!”

Her fingers type feverishly

As she glances at the clock

She has one hour left

Would she make it, or not?

As Joe turns in sports

Sarah’s eyes scan them fast

She gives suggestions on grammar

And cheers when Hudson comes in last

The photos pour in,

The police reports too

What stupid thing

Did her old neighbor now do?

Chelsey adds the obits

While Jack preps more ads

Naomi pulls her hair out

Waiting on more stories, egads!

Jeff tallies sports scheds

And Greg writes about bacon

Dave Beck tells more tales

John, “How long is this taking?”

Dave Wood keeps on working

While edits are made

Sarah sorts through letters

As her energy fades

Naomi works her magic

And arranges the news

On all of the pages

For the readers to peruse

As the proofs roll out

Sarah sighs with relief

One more week done

On time even, good grief!

A miracle each week

How it all comes about

No matter the stress,

The paper always comes out.

Merry Christmas from the Pierce County Journal staff! Thank you for supporting local news!