Eyam Poem by Martin Ward

Eyam

Anglo Saxons named the place
and left a cross traced
in Mercian style,
to stand as witness.

Pre-curser to the lead mines
of Roman times,
stone circles and barrows,
high above on Eyam Moor,
looked down before destruction.

All this amidst
the tranquil, rugged beauty
that is Derbyshire.

The plague came to Eyam
in the year 1665.
It seems that it arrived
in a flea-ridden
bale of cloth
from London.

Eyam is not a morbid place,
nor is it bright. It is right
that the sacrifices made
should not be seen
as a tragedy, though tragic
was the villagers' plight.

We read of plague
in history books:
long-dead days.

Ice-creamed children
visit Eyam with their teachers
to see and learn something.