Planetary conjunction, behold catastrophe, o’ trembling earthquake

Afore thy outbreak, for terror has struck – omens of bad luck

Of rats aboard large ships of trade

Black Death, Black Sea, what becometh thee?

Rain of fire be seen, plague-ridden body on board

We have reached thy port, yet to attest, how plague affects

Swelling glands, pain of anguish, rats be driven away!

Your mere presence has brought such decay

As we whip, thy iron-tip, our atonement for sin

Carvened Danse Macabre

Such an illusion – dissolutions thee

Charms of protection, a defensive guard

Twas written, twas seen

O’ comet, striker of the sky, what do you signify?

Pepys can testify

Anger from above, epidemic take hold

Wagons rumble o’er cobblestones

Familiar cries, threepence my dear

Our streets form an open sewer, coins in vinegar, avid memoir

O’ do not tarry, empty thy cesspit

O’ waste

Watchers in haste

Yet beyond the square, our city of London, along the Thames

Statistics ever-rising – bills of mortality

Your curing touch, King healeth thee

O’ silent city, cross be marked

Doors marked red, as peoples fled

Orders for health, examine, oversee, Royal Society

Even physicians flee

Of herbs and spices, no cure for thee

A fire, so great as broken out, thy plague wiped out

As events unfold, we shall retain control



Written by Geraldine Taylor ©

Components form a basic need

A plant produced, a healthy seed

Light and warmth, spring water flow

Tranquil air helps plants to grow



The sunshine rays that beam with light

With health, green leaves shall stand upright

Natural cycles won’t evolve

A dark surround, left bare and cold



That light of which dear plants rely

Devoid of light, such plants would die

Tall spindly state, o light shall seek

Epitomises growing weak



Watered fields, roots delight

Nutrient soil, anchored upright

Beneath the earth, a process starts

Up through the stem to distinct parts



Sunshine glare, of natural bliss

Make way photosynthesis

Bring forth a bout of showering

The varied kinds are flowering



Embrace the harvest, water surge

Where leaves and flower buds emerge

Insects travel, pollination

Carried forth, fertilisation



Dispose and scatter seeds below

Create anew, for plants to grow

Coloured petals, a summer breeze

Butterflies and bumble bees



Attractive plant, a keen insect

Solid petals will protect

Sweetest nectar – energy

Exist for bees to make honey



Written by Geraldine Taylor ©

The absence of which, who could withstand?

The evolution thereof corresponds with us

Expansion likewise

Enabler of movement, our fundamental support

Protection for such living things

Joints and muscles – we limber on

Muscle contract, muscle relax

A framework within

Exoskeleton outside

So ribs protect – heart and lung surround

Skull protect – shield the brain

Where two or more join, so joints comprise

A fundamental function

A vital role to play

Solid and strong, yet spongy within

Inner bone marrow – tissue living

Small bones of the inner ear

Larger bones increasing gear

Leg bone, arm bone, rendered to walk alone

High bone, thigh bone, ever so required bone



Written by Geraldine Taylor ©

Aligned in place, they changed and grew

A distinct frame to chomp and chew

To rip, to crush, to tear and bite

To process food, determined might



Forward canines made to tear

Bold incisors lessen wear

Solid molars help to crush

Day and night our teeth to brush



A solid set, with aim to grind

The sets of teeth we can but find

Milk teeth formed, of first event

The adult teeth grow permanent



Meat eaters are carnivores

Plant consumers’ herbivores

To brush is not inferior

To balance bad bacteria



Balanced diet, portioned fruit

Brighter teeth, a healthy root

A poorer choice of alcohol

With smoking yet will take its toll



For where leftover sugar lay

An acid forms for tooth decay

Improved choices – don’t delay

Brush and floss teeth twice a day



Written by Geraldine Taylor ©

When light has ceased to shine

With answers yet to find

When others are unkind

With challenges of mind

To stumble or to fall

When progress starts to stall

When rivers cannot flow

With ebbs that lay shallow

When rendered left behind

No reason or a sign

Deserted unclear place

A yearning to embrace

A friendship to abound

Where fullness can be found

Where none can separate

My heart will elevate

Where I can so rely

Where joyful eagles fly

In awe of such surround

It glistens all around

A trust of which to lend

My dearest ever friend



Written by Geraldine Taylor ©

Splish splash splish, sunshine bliss

Crashing waves, glistening summer rays

Of days, at the seaside shore

Longing for more, we reminisce

As waves bellow, so we build

Sandcastles on high, quickening sand running over my hand

Slippery stepping stones across oceanic floors

As ‘She’ sets sail, seagulls soar, over the sandy shore

A pool of rock, bucket and *****

Toward the tide and so we wade

Ice-cream dream

Transparent view, starfish slither

We come to a s-t-a-n-d-s-t-i-l-l

Intrigued yet by the wonders of the deep

Sheer radiance

Fetched flip-flops, seaward bound

The zest of life

Cruise the current, row the flow

We drift, we drift

Seaweed and squid

Glancing at the pier, windmill yet afar

Kite shall ride the wind, a break thereupon

Such glee of days

What joy could override

Our sunny seaside



Written by Geraldine Taylor ©

Hop aboard the Express

Coast to coast, city to city, passengers in line

Electric locomotive, powering at speed

Turn about the corner, tilting train along the track

Compartments of the carriage

Synchronized flow, signal – stop sign

Yet a glance behind, dancing of the trees

Horses on the moor

A scenic tour, destination ever-near

Of varied kinds, capacities great and small

Lest we fall, yet with closed eyes we crawl

Make way to the mountain, sloping steep hill

Railway equipped, pinion wheel grip

The fascination a journey entails

Straddling monorail, of columns held upon

Embrace beams above roads

Diesel locomotives, powering gears

Afore times we have known, use of pulling alone

Steam locomotives, signs of the time

Wait in line, aboard the horse-drawn carriage

Pressure, power, steam

Fuel for freight trains, packed with heavy loads

Rolling wagon wheel

Roll-on record breakers, ravishing appeal



Written by Geraldine Taylor ©