Plague Poems
@plaguepoems.bsky.social
📤 7652
📥 21
📝 3100
A record of the plague years. Z”L.
https://librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/plague-poems/
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Along with her mask the woman in the store wore a t-shirt which read “the horrors persist but so do I,” and as we passed she said “nice mask,” so I replied “the horrors persist but so do we.” * A compendium of the 328th week of plague poems…
librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2026/06/26/p...
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Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Twenty-Eighth Week
If, my friend, as the week begins, you find yourself feeling saddened and furious disappointed and worried, please understand that as uncomfortable as these feelings may be all of them are perfectl…
https://librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2026/06/26/plague-poems-the-three-hundred-and-twenty-eighth-week/
4 days ago
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58
8
When they tell you (and they will tell you) that it’s summer and that it’s normal for it to get hot in the summer, politely but firmly tell them, that it’s summer and that it’s normal for it to get hot in the summer, but not for it to get this hot.
about 1 hour ago
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10
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So he told me that based on the news he worries the future will be hot, violent, and sick. So I told him that based on the news I worry the present currently is hot, violent, and sick. So he told me that based on the news he worries the future will be even worse.
about 18 hours ago
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50
7
The historian told me that in many eras people have feared that their world was coming to an end, so I sent her an article headlined “Europe sizzles under heat wave as records are smashed,” and the historian replied that in many eras those fears were warranted.
about 20 hours ago
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42
9
Contrary to what your coworkers and relatives say as this summer begins please remember: that no, it is not normal for so many people to be so sick in the summer; and that no, it is not normal for so many places to be so hot in the summer.
about 22 hours ago
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63
12
Protect yourself this week: stay well hydrated, wear sunscreen and sunglasses, stay inside or in the shade, use a fan or air conditioning, and should you go out wear a mask, as the extreme heat is not the only thing against which you need to protect yourself this week.
1 day ago
1
53
14
As we discussed the heatwave, I asked the old punk if she ever worries that it’s too late, that we’ve already lost, and after a quiet moment the old punk replied that what really worries her are the people who say that it’s too late to justify their complacency.
4 days ago
1
66
18
If you look you will find stories about the heatwave and about Ebola, about screwworm and about Covid, about data centers and about wars, about the trillionaire and about Prairieland, and if you look carefully you will find that these are all part of the same story.
4 days ago
3
115
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Along with her mask the woman in the store wore a t-shirt which read “the horrors persist but so do I,” and as we passed she said “nice mask,” so I replied “the horrors persist but so do we.” * A compendium of the 328th week of plague poems…
librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2026/06/26/p...
loading . . .
Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Twenty-Eighth Week
If, my friend, as the week begins, you find yourself feeling saddened and furious disappointed and worried, please understand that as uncomfortable as these feelings may be all of them are perfectl…
https://librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2026/06/26/plague-poems-the-three-hundred-and-twenty-eighth-week/
4 days ago
1
58
8
According to a headline “Buildings May Soon Have ‘Immune Systems’ That Fight Airborne Disease,” and while that would be a good thing (that would be a very good thing) until that “soon” arrives you should really keep wearing a mask.
4 days ago
1
54
9
Listen: when you hear it reported that this week Paris, France, has seen more days above 40°C than it had in the years from 1872 to 2019, it is vital to understand that this is not the end of the world, rather it is a sign that the world we knew has already ended.
4 days ago
0
76
21
My friend, the climatologist, says pay attention to the heat wave happening in Europe. My friend, the epidemiologist, says pay attention to the Covid wave that’s starting again. My friend, oh my friends, please pay attention it’s time to wave the world we knew goodbye.
5 days ago
0
74
17
As the flu outbreak at an Air Force base grows (after they had rescinded their flu shot requirement), the military services are now once again requiring flu shots, which is a reminder that though it is difficult to admit the error of your ways, it is not impossible.
5 days ago
0
87
30
A new initiative aims “to make respiratory infections, like the common cold and flu, a thing of the past,” but while you patiently wait for AI and tech companies to make such infections “a thing of the past” it would be wise to keep protecting yourself in the present.
5 days ago
0
41
13
When I asked, the epidemiologist told me the world is a disaster. When I asked, the climatologist told me the world is a disaster. When I asked, the seismologist told me the world is a disaster. So I asked the ethicist and she told me the world can be different.
5 days ago
1
54
19
According to the news the Ebola outbreak has now exceeded 1,000 cases in Congo, and on a related note according to a Lancet study the aid cuts (championed by the man who is why the number of trillionaires has exceeded zero) will result in 14 million deaths by 2030.
6 days ago
2
44
16
I keep hearing people say how worried they are about this outbreak now that France has reported its first Ebola case, and I only wish those same people had been equally worried about this outbreak when all the Ebola cases were still l in Congo.
6 days ago
0
71
15
The historian told me she knows there are more serious issuess (much more serious issues) than the dead ducks in the reflecting pool, but the historian told me she doesn’t know what better symbolizes this moment than the dead ducks in the reflecting pool.
6 days ago
0
55
15
When the man in the Gadsden Flag shirt approached, he pointed at me and growled “take off your stupid fucking mask,” and though I should have just walked away, instead I calmly replied: “hey, don’t tread on me,” and I could immediately tell he did not like that reply.
6 days ago
0
66
18
According to the wastewater monitoring the latests data suggests that Covid levels are rising once again, which is a reminder that as you make plans to catch some waves during this summer, that this is the sort of wave you do not want to catch.
7 days ago
1
71
18
Alongside a video of a man in a headstand pose, the WHO recommended doing yoga to stay grounded, and while I know it seems that the world has turned upside down, I regret to inform you, that turning yourself upside down does not turn the world right side up.
7 days ago
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41
9
When you hear about how screwworm continues to spread among warm-blooded animals (now including a sheep), it is vital to remember how screwworm prevention funding was cut by cold-blooded humans.
7 days ago
6
328
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As the seasons change remember to dress properly: in the fall you should wear a sweater, in the winter you should wear a heavy coat, in the spring you should wear a raincoat, in the summer you should wear sunscreen, and in plague seasons you should wear a mask.
7 days ago
0
62
16
According to the news there is algae in the reflecting pool, and there is a heatwave in Europe, and there is Ebola in Congo, and there is screwworm in Texas, and there is, and there is, but based on the news what matters is that there is algae in the reflecting pool.
8 days ago
1
83
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As the summer begins please, my friend, remember that regardless of what the last several years have led you to believe it is not normal (it really is not normal) for everyone you know to get sick in the summer.
8 days ago
1
77
21
When I checked on her the historian told me she is anxious, for she has articles to write, classes to prepare, a manuscript to finish, but she added that when she stops and looks at the news she is reminded there are bigger reasons much bigger reasons to be anxious.
8 days ago
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37
6
I have a friend whose goal for the summer is to go to the beach. I have a friend whose goal for the summer is to write a book. I have a friend whose goal for the summer is to plan their wedding. I’ll admit, friends, my goal for the summer is to not get sick.
8 days ago
2
47
9
With her 100th birthday drawing near, I asked my great aunt if she had any wisdom to share, and she told me: when you’re young you believe that the world is your oyster, and when you’re old you realize that the world is your oy. And then we both laughed.
11 days ago
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It seems that this week everyone is talking about the failures (about the many failures) of this administration, and though far fewer people are talking about the worsening Ebola outbreak in Congo, that too should be discussed among the failures of this administration.
11 days ago
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When you see the story about how the world has its first trillionaire and when you see the story about how laboratories in Congo have run out of supplies to test for Ebola it is important to understand that in many ways these are the same story * 327:
librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2026/06/19/p...
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Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Twenty-Seventh Week
You cannot know for certain (even at this point) which of the four horsemen will dominate the headlines this week. But you can be quite certain (even at this point) that most of those horsemen will…
https://librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2026/06/19/plague-poems-the-three-hundred-and-twenty-seventh-week/
11 days ago
1
63
23
It has been reported that a major flu outbreak at an Air Force base in Texas has sickened around 160 troops, but it’s probably just a coincidence that this happened after the Defense Secretary made the flu vaccine optional, yes, it’s probably just a strange coincidence.
11 days ago
2
85
20
Apologies to you, dear reader, for I recognize there are times when it may seem to you like I am just repeating myself. But with apologies to you, dear reader, these are times when the horrors of the world are repeating themselves too.
11 days ago
0
74
8
As for the Ebola outbreak, I’ve heard it said it could be the worst. And as for the trillionaire, I’ve heard it said that he is the first. (And as for the above lines you’ll see they rhyme in more ways than one).
12 days ago
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53
13
A new study shows “Covid vaccine linked to a 40% lower risk of heart attacks and strokes,” which just goes to show that protecting yourself and others is good for our literal and for our figurative hearts and minds.
12 days ago
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61
14
According to an opinion piece after they “looked at the data” they found that remote work was bad for mental health, but considering all the data on how contracting Covid damages the brain (and more), remote work still seems like the safer option.
12 days ago
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56
11
As we passed each other by our cars, my neighbor said he was disappointed that despite the predictions we had not gotten a tornado yesterday, and though I wanted to tell him that it’s a good thing when the disaster doesn’t happen, instead I just said: have a good day.
12 days ago
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30
3
When they ask you (and they will ask you) if you have heard about the dangerous parasite that feeds on the life of warm-blooded animals which has recently been found in Texas, be sure to ask them if they are referring to the trillionaire or the screwworm.
13 days ago
3
116
24
As I typed the word “trillionaire” the program underlined it with a bright red line as if it refused to believe it was a real thing, and as I stared at that underlined word I sympathized, as I also wanted to refuse to believe it was a real thing.
13 days ago
1
110
24
A friend called to see if I had plans in case I lose power, so I told her I lost any power I had a long time ago and ever since I’ve been running on anger, fear, and hope, to which she responded she meant losing power in the storm, so I said: I also have a flashlight.
13 days ago
1
74
19
Along with her mask the woman in the store wore a t-shirt which read “the horrors persist but so do I,” and as we passed she said “nice mask,” so I replied “the horrors persist but so do we.”
13 days ago
2
105
25
And should they ask you why you are so concerned about the Ebola outbreak, respond by asking them: why it is that they think you should need a reason to be concerned about the suffering of others.
14 days ago
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90
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It has been reported that it will take around a billion dollars to contain the outbreak of New World screwworm, and while this may sound like quite a lot of money at least we saved fifteen million dollars thanks to previously cutting a screwworm monitoring program.
14 days ago
2
113
44
Should they ask you why you are so concerned about the Ebola outbreak, tell them you have heard an expert say that they are “really worried” about it, and when they ask you “who said that?” tell them that: yes, exactly, the director-general of the WHO said that.
14 days ago
1
55
13
Will history show that the world got its first trillionaire at the same time as an Ebola outbreak? Yes, history will show that the world got its first trillionaire at the same time as an Ebola outbreak. But by now you should know that nobody learns from history.
14 days ago
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49
14
In the last several days the number of people who have contracted Ebola has increased to more than eight hundred, and meanwhile, in related news, in the last several days the number of people who are trillionaires has increased to more than zero.
15 days ago
1
83
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I sent my aunt, the doctor, an article in which the title asked: “Why are so many young people getting cancer?” and by way of reply my aunt, the doctor, sent me an article about the oncogenic potential of Covid-19.
15 days ago
4
84
20
When they tell you that Covid was six years ago, calmly but firmly tell them that they are right Covid was six years ago, but remind them it was also five years ago, and four years ago, and three years ago, and two years ago, and one year ago, and it is also right now.
15 days ago
2
161
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If, my friend, as the week begins, you find yourself feeling saddened and furious disappointed and worried, please understand that as uncomfortable as these feelings may be all of them are perfectly reasonable responses to the state of the world.
15 days ago
0
57
11
The climatologist told me the problem is the climate. The programmer told me the problem is AI. The epidemiologist told me the problem is viruses. The historian told me the problem is ignorance. This all tells me the problem is we don’t take care of each other.
18 days ago
2
81
26
New research finds “half or more of the gap in life outcomes between older and younger siblings can be attributed to pathogens inadvertently brought home by older siblings,” and while we didn’t really need more reasons to clean the air in schools, it’s one more reason.
18 days ago
1
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When you hear it said that the screwworm poses a threat to cattle and to livestock and to other animals, please understand that “other animals” includes you. * A compendium of the 326th week of plague poems…
librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2026/06/12/p...
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Plague Poems – The Three-Hundred-and-Twenty-Sixth Week
As the week begins I look at the news and wonder which of the four horsemen will take the lead this week? And as the week begins I look at the news and wonder how many more than four horsemen are r…
https://librarianshipwreck.wordpress.com/2026/06/12/plague-poems-the-three-hundred-and-twenty-sixth-week/
18 days ago
1
92
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