Plague Presence

https://m.soundcloud.com/user-921599710/plague-presence Planetary conjunction, behold catastrophe, o’ trembling earthquake Afore thy outbreak, for terror has struck – omens of bad luck Of rats aboard large ships of trade Black Death, Black Sea, what becometh thee? Rain of fire be seen, plague-ridden body on board We have reached thy port, yet to attest, how plague affects Swelling glands, pain of anguish, rats be driven away! Your mere presence has brought such decay As we whip, thy iron-tip, our atonement for sin Carvened Danse Macabre Such an illusion – dissolutions thee Charms of protection, a defensive guard Twas written, twas seen O’ comet, striker of the sky, what do you signify? Pepys can testify Anger from above, epidemic take hold Wagons rumble o’er cobblestones Familiar cries, threepence my dear Our streets form an open sewer, coins in vinegar, avid memoir O’ do not tarry, empty thy cesspit O’ waste Watchers in haste Yet beyond the square, our city of London, along the Thames Statistics ever-rising – bills of mortality Your curing touch, King healeth thee O’ silent city, cross be marked Doors marked red, as peoples fled Orders for health, examine, oversee, Royal Society Even physicians flee Of herbs and spices, no cure for thee A fire, so great as broken out, thy plague wiped out As events unfold, we shall retain control Written by Geraldine Taylor ©