The Pale Rider
The statements made by some
of the chief politicians this week seems to have done absolutely nothing to
stem the panic buying that has been on a slow build up over the last couple of
weeks. It fact it seems to me to have had the complete opposite effect. We are
a dim lot in the UK
aren’t we? We listen to the talk on the TV and call in chat shows on the radio
and frankly I think most of them are lying through their teeth about the
figures that they are giving out about the extent of the playing field of this
nasty virus even so far.
Our Prime Minister Boris
Johnson on TV yesterday was, to my mind, I hasten to say, quite a long way off
the truth, and well actually I think he was light years off. We only hear about
how many people have been tested positive for the Corona Virus don’t we? I have
a reasonable circle of friends but I have not heard of any of then even having
a test. Have you?
Is it that only people in
hospital are being tested because surely it sounds like most people have not
had a test for this biblical proportioned pestilence. Its looking like we have
time slipped back to the dark ages of the Plague.
I heard on the radio that in the USA it has been
costing $3000 dollars to have the test. That also means that ordinary working folk
cannot afford that if they do not have medical insurance So that means that for
all we know, hundreds of thousands could already have it. That is possibly
being kept quiet, because most of them may be young and have only the lightest
of symptoms. They will then carry on as usual and go to work just a bit sniffy
and yet they could be spreading the virus like the forest fires we have seen on
TV in Australia and before
that in the USA
a while back.
We heard London Mayor Sadiq
Kahn on the radio yesterday and even if you do not agree with everything he
says, he certainly can talk and actually sounds quite sensible most of the time
which is better than listening the bare faced lies pouring out of the mouths of
some people at the rate of the water falling over Niagara falls. Not naming
names there but look to the sunset for a rough direction. In fact I would go as
far as to say if the mayor of London
does not last past the next election he has a career on radio and TV waiting
for him or who knows maybe even leader of the labour party.
So finally yes it does all
look like the next months or maybe the entire summer will be a test for us all,
more for us old folks of course. I have already chosen to distance myself as
much as I can. I am staying indoors and only going out in our vehicle, a van,
that my husband has manically cleaned the inside of and will be only used by
the two of us. We will only go to the countryside for our run training;
everything else will be done at home. We have found other forms of exercise on
You Tube to fill the gap in our training there are dozens to choose from.
Our training this morning
looked like this:
15
minutes gentle stretching
30
minutes Pilates (on You Tube)
1 hour 30
minutes Spin-a-vals fast cadence turbo training in our box room
20
minutes Qigong, also on You Tube… very calm, peaceful and relaxing.
There are
hundreds of sessions of all kinds so one can still keep moving.
I wrote this poem below a
couple of days after what I confess was a bad nights sleep. I should explain that
I that in my childhood I was taught to control my behaviour, with a good deal
of bible thumping. My parents sent me to a little chapel service at 9am with my
cousin John. We went home for a quick breakfast before moving on the St Georges
Church in Worthing for the main Sunday service
and after mum’s yummy Sunday lunch, to the sound of Family Favourites on the
radio. I was then sent to Sunday school at 3pm in the church hall attached to
St Georges Church. Sometimes in summer if I was very lucky may dad who had in
his younger days played in the Salvation Army band, to listen to local band on
the sea front or in the band stand. It was not until donkey’s years later that
I realised my parents just wanted me out of the way for their day off work.
However there is a lot of
stuff about the Pale Horse and all manner of other Hell Fire and Damnation,
Plague, Pestilence and multitude of death to be found with a simple search on Google.
Add to that that my man and I, have had this painting hanging on our sitting room
wall for many years. It is a part copy of a painting in the National Gallery; I
can’t read the scribble in the corner of it so cannot name the artist. Plus I
think that this particular Pale Rider is simple going the horse market! Ok my
poem may be some seriously over the top artistic interpretation. Or not!
The Pale Rider
Some things will jar, like an
arthritic knee
A dark thought squirming its
way to the light
Mother of Earth please, do
not set it free.
Trust to believe the sight
before our eyes
Evil poisonous snake all set
to smite
We are past the day now for
what’s and why’s.
Deliberate use of a venomous
strain
Fail to control the iron goad
of might
Biblical scale plague and
pestilence gain.
Is that the Pale Rider? Is
his name Death?
Riding slowly this way with
us in sight
Rein back as we prepare for
life’s last breath?
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