| 29 April 2003 | 2003 4 29
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| 29 April 2003 | 2003429
|
Oh glorious germ!
The grim eye of science looks on
As your armies march across China.
Even your reputation makes tabletops unclean,
Clings invisibly to hands and lays its eggs in rumour.
Beijing is bitten with the madness.
Zhang has fallen! His ministry
Outnumbered and unprepared.
Roadblocks surround the capital
As the nation falls under siege.
There are masks in the street,
And no rice left in the stores.
In a town outside Tianjin,
The school named as the region's quarantine
Is a smouldering ruin,
And the vandals are still on the loose.
Notes
The poem above is a dramatic re-creation! If you want the facts, check these news stories: