Thanks, everyone, for the responses.
Glenn, I don't hate DST, but the changing back and forth is inconvenient, and can be dangerous, I hear, when sleep is disrupted.
Perry, yes, "were" is correct in that context, a "past contrary to fact" situation. This poem is just light, mildly satirical verse, so I don't want to take it anywhere serious.
Alexandra, people do occasionally invert syntax for emphasis and other reasons. I have tried removing the inversion, which reads more smoothly but feels less emphatic to me. I'll see what people think of it.
Susan
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