Friday, May 21, 2010

The Drear


SKYWATCH
http://skyley.blogspot.com/
THE DREAR!

Sorry to disappoint you, dearie,
But this one's going to be quite dreary!
Autumn foliage, dead and brown
Seen on a roof-top in Sydney Town!
Think of Australia.... think of sun!
But winter comes when Autumn's done!
Dark clouds gather, the cold wind blows!
This isn't the sunshine that we chose!
While other nations are gamboling,
Singing merry songs of Spring,
Making garlands of pretty flowers,
This is the outlook that is ours!
And does anybody give a toss
That while you win we cope with loss!
We float down here in the Southern seas!
Soon our extremities will freeze!
Will you give us a single thought
As you get a tan on the tennis court?
No!  We're discarded and alone
As you lick the umpteenth ice-cream cone!
*
But there's one thing you should remember!
We'll be laughing come September!
*
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VACCINATION
Sir Edward Jenner, here portrayed
Found that he had made the grade
When first he practiced cow-pox vaccination.
His is a really well-known name,
Praised in the annals of great fame,
One of the heroes of the British nation.

But see this lady down below!
She, too, is someone you should know;
She also played a part in this endeavour.
Who is she in her Turkish dress?
I'm certain you will never guess,
For is she ever given credit? Never!

Now these are Turks. It's a disgrace
That they can rarely claim a place
In all the annals read on vaccination,
For they had practiced the great art
Throughout their history, from the start
And we should be so grateful to their nation
*
Ambassador, Lord Montague,
Sailed with his wife (all this is true)
To represent his King in distant parts.
The Lady Mary did good works
Among the peasantry, the Turks,
And she learned their local customs and their arts.
*
She found that small-pox, which was rife,
Sometimes threatened another life,
Unless they'd come in contact with a case.
The Turks made sure that pus from sores
Entered a healthy person's pores,
Although the process wasn't nice to face.
*
Lady Mary sent the news
To England, giving them her views
That, in this way, much death could be prevented.
Her own young son was treated thus,
Although I'm sure he made a fuss,
And so the modern process was invented.
*
Edward Jenner went ahead
Using cow-pox germs instead,
And, sure enough, the smallpox germ retreated,
And all the British people cried
'Without a doubt he's Britain's pride!'
And down through time this cry has been repeated.
*
But let us not forget to praise
A lady and her learned ways,
Who had to live with no appreciation,
And all the Turks who went before
Who, also, should be praised much more,
And who gave us all the boon of vaccination
*

6 comments:

Carolyn Ford said...

I love your poem...but, I'm not disappointed. It's a lovely silhouette!

Barb said...

Well, only the sky is dreary - certainly not the rhyme!

Carver said...

I enjoyed your poem and photograph. I like bare trees and cloudy skies.

Margaret Gosden said...

Oh, you poor things, as we climb out of our misery in
fits and starts. Now it is our turn to bask and bathe and not give a damn for what goes on down under - unless you have a catastrophe, nature forbid it! - then
the world will be in sympathy - and we will be reminded that this, oh, so too warm weather will thankfully be over come September. The few weeks
between extreme seasons are the best, often so short
and easily forgotten.

Magical Mystical Teacher said...

Dreary autumn day
no bright sun in which to play—
clouds, begone! Away!

Two Blue Skies:
Sky Maiden Singing
Old PiƱon Bones

Kim, USA said...

It looks like your cloud is moody. ^_^ Happy Friday!

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