The hypochondriac shepherd to his love

Poems in the time of Corona

The hypochondriac shepherd to his love
after Christopher Marlowe

Quarantine with me in latex gloves
And we will careful measures prove
That keep us safe, as we lack meds
To stop us dying in our beds.

And we will monitor our chests,
Hoping our lungs are free of pests,
And if we laboured breathing note,
Check for a soreness in the throat.

And I will bring thee morning tea,
A thousand pills of vitamin C,
A cotton mask, a wi-fi key,
And meals delivered contact free.

If pink eye strikes us or pink toesies,
Which bode ill like old ring o' roses,
We will take oximetric scores
And temperatures and stay indoors.

If nettle wine loses its taste
Then to the clinic we will haste
To swab our tonsils with a stick;
Pray God we are not awful sick.

The shepherds' swains are feverish
So stay as long as is thy wish:
If prophylaxis thy mind moves,
Quarantine with me in latex gloves.




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