Plague and Pestilence

barbdrummondcurioushistories's avatarbarb drummond curious historian

With the outbreak of Covid, many people are drawing parallels between it and the Black Death, and it is worth looking at some relevant echoes, but there are significant differences.

From about 800-1200 was the Medieval warm period, which allowed Europe’s population, agriculture and settlements to expand and thrive. The Norse went fishing further afield and settled in Iceland and fish off North America. They also raided Britain, and water levels rose so Norwich and Bristol, now far inland, became major ports.

Trade flourished but in 1302, a rebellion in Flanders saw most of France’s knights drowned due to incessant downpours. In 1315 saw Europe beset with almost constant rains from Ireland to Germany and Scandinavia, washing away fields that had been reclaimed from forests to feed their growing populations. In northern England thousands of acres of reclaimed farmland became barren and rocky. What little grain was harvested could not…

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For Mother’s Day

wendycatpratt's avatarWendy Pratt

shallow focus photo of pink ceramic roses Photo by Acharaporn Kamornboonyarush on Pexels.com

Mexico, 2014

Wendy Pratt 

It is like saying goodbye again.

This is the longest I’ve been away from her

since she was delivered like a hot brick

into my husband’s arms.

We are flying from four years

of investigating her death. I think

even the turquoise of the Caribbean

can’t bring me back from the tiredness.

But I calm to the white sand, the tiny shells, so similar,

so different to the ones on Filey bay. I watch

the diamond shadow of a sting ray, gliding gently in its world.

I climb the hot stone ruins of Tulum,

wade the warm sea, swim in cenote,

drink margaritas on the beach.

 

I make an offering to the Mayan Gods; have her name set

in Mayan silver, hieroglyphics on a piece of black stone,

and I wear it round my neck, watch it glitter as I swim in the perfect blue,

feeling guilty I can’t…

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.day 9.

Sonja Benskin Mesher's avatarsonja benskin mesher

..light aircraft..

 

did i tell you a small plane flies over each day?

sometimes higher that the day before

i watch it
we all used to watch it
now
i watch it

so i fixed the phone
and found the message

and the past caught up with me
the circle turned again

i should feel a thing within
i do not

i stand and watch the plane

(really, oh really)

 

1234

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.day 8.

Sonja Benskin Mesher's avatarsonja benskin mesher

glad to hear the snow is melting there
and that you are getting out and about

all our resaurants and pubs have closed
and no more swimming for the family
a while
despite the chlorine

he will swim the rivers and the sea
he is bolder than me
it is colder for me

we moved forward yesterday
with a few steps backwards

things broke, things were mended
cleaned and tidied

we talked over the fence, the first
in reality this week

they looked older, both had sticks
and offered supplies if necessary

two dogs
grey whippet twelve years old
and a black mixed scruffy

i watched them walk on and went
back into the studio quietly
sat a while

the others went out in their cars
and i hope they had good reason

surprised at the number of days achieved
hope you will manage ok with things and stuff

(…

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Herd immunity

Peter Kruschwitz's avatarThe Petrified Muse

As the UK’s ‘herd immunity’ approach to the coronavirus crisis has proven to be somewhat of a debacle, I would like to share how the farmer Sagaris protected his herd during an epidemic.

His story is recorded in a Greek verse inscription from Apollonia Mordiaion, datable to A. D. 162, i. e. around, or just before, the period of the so-called Antonine plague.

The text reads as follows (SGO 12/62/01):

ἔτους ζμσ’
γειαρότας δοιοὺς τούσδ’ ἐθέμην Σάγαρις
ἀντὶ βοῶν ζώντων τοὺς Δοκιμεῖς ἀρότας,
οὓς ἐσάωσε θεὸς ὅτε βούβρωστις κατὰ γαῖαν
σαρκοβόρος δεινή τε φόνον βρείθουσα ἄλυκτ[ον]
κόσμον ἐπέσχετο πάντα· ἐμοὶ φύγον έ(κ) καμάτ[οιο]
ἐργατιναί καλοὶ ξανθοί γαίης ἀροτήρες·
καὶ βόας ἐρρύσω ψυχὰς δὲ βροτῶν ἐσάωσ[ας]
καὶ Γαλατῶν γαίης ἤγαγες ες πατρίδα,
υὗά τ’ ἐμὸν κύδηνας ἐνὶ Τρόκμοις ζαθέοισι·
τούνεκεν οὐ μέγα δῶρον ἐγὼ τὸν βωμὸν ἔθηκα·
τίς γὰρ δῶρον ἄνακτι θεῶν ἀντάξιον εὕροι;

In translation:

In the…

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.day 7. the fish.

Sonja Benskin Mesher's avatarsonja benskin mesher

i wondered, then you told me
now i wonder how you feel
about it

you will have time for your bike

i am on a break during this phenomena
as you know

day 7

wake to a spring day full of sunshine
out there, the cats on the door step
waiting

i have looked to my memories recently
while cleaning, a thing unexperienced
much before
except when
writing

yesterday small planes flew over
maybe it is safe up there, then
later a big old thing with propellers

it went down the valley

the other day while drawing and using
the carbon
paper i forgot

drew the lines twice
and everything went
double

i lost my email address too
a long story he says i can
tell it over coffee
when ever that may be
he is grounded too
his asthma a thing

don’t get much junk mail no more

a…

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The human side of the pandemic

Peter Kruschwitz's avatarThe Petrified Muse

As the world is trying to come to terms with the new coronavirus, Team MAPPOLA is doing its utmost to keep safe, working from home as best we can. As…

The human side of the pandemic

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THE BEAUTIFUL GAZELLE UP AND RUNNING AT PAGE AND SPINE

Wiregrass – A Poem by Moira J. Saucer, with a song version by Moira J. Saucer (lyrics) & Tokyo Rosenthal (lyrics, music)

robertfredekenter's avatarIceFloe Press

Wiregrass

Poets in their youth begin in gladness
William Wordsworth

Many poets I knew in my youth went away and died.
Others disappeared – merely –
Me, I am hiding in a mobile home in the Wiregrass.

I am running from sorrow.
Running from madness.
Running from the Devil.

My days are spent cooking, cleaning,
doing laundry, praying.
Praying to stave off sorrow and madness,

but sometimes I think these twin demons

are waiting outside the doors,
waiting for blindness to set in,
waiting for gladness to fade.

I’m trying to outshine
and outwit the Devil.

I bicker with my mother at night,

cook nice foods for her when it’s daylight.
No more $100 dinners that someone else paid for.
Food and fighting keep us alive.

Gone are the expensive European glasses.
Gone, the costly clothes and shoes.
Gone, the extravagant Georgetown hairdresser

My hair stuck on top of my…

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