A Lincolnshire Lad - Marshall's Measles Poem by Christopher Tye

A Lincolnshire Lad - Marshall's Measles

A most curious of diseases this Marshall's measles,
First recorded soon after the first Field Marshall was made,
Many a wise man tried to find a cure to the dreaded black spots,
Strangely only Field Marshall drivers succumbed to it.

Those splendid single cylinder diesel tractors from Gainsborough,
With their two-stroke engines ejecting emissions,
Out top of the bulbous chimney straight towards the drivers,
Marshall's measles, poor faces covered in oily sooty spots.

Once so common among farmers in these parts,
A symbol of Britannia Work's in Gainsborough for sure,
Worn with great pride once but now nearly extinct,
Just a few faces afflicted at vintage tractor rallies now.

By Christopher Tye