In time of plague and carnival
An age of death and fear
Hail to Great Saturn and the world
All turned upon its ear.
Misrule, and contradiction,
As Saturn’s rings revolve,
With riot, death, and terror,
As viruses evolve.
What though the cases rising?
What though the plague run on?
As Saturn welcomes from his throne
The rise of Omicron!
All work must now occur at home,
And all must fear to touch,
When Death walks free on open streets
A breath might be too much.
Asclepius worked overtime
To get us our vaccine
But Saturn strikes the needle down,
Declaring it unclean.
We wear our masks, we’re masquers all,
Come join our masquerade,
As Saturn’s ship of fools gets stuck
And books can not be made.
Turn! Turn about! Turn upside down!
Oh custom, place, and time,
Let Worldcon come at Christmas,
Sans reason and sans rhyme!
Come leap, come speak, stay home, stay safe,
Come choose what risks to run
While starved of information
And desperate for fun.
Saturn conducts the whirling dance,
Make love, make plans, make bread,
If you could concentrate you might
Hide underneath the bed.
Lord of Misrule, this world is yours,
We lay it at your feet,
Spinning completely upside down
The turmoil is complete.
13th December 2021
