7/12/2020 POETRY: AMY LEBLANCYERSINIA PESTIS IN ALBERTA During the bubonic plague, Thieves’ Oil (a blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary) was placed on hands, ears, temples, feet, and inside of beak-like masks to avoid catching the plague. Clove: It will be manageable at first. a brief tremor in the arms and legs, squirrels will drop from electrical wires and robins will lose their voice. The pain will be no brighter than a flickering candle at first. Lemon: A man on a podium will tell you not to worry. The men behind will nod. They will post signs telling you to exercise reasonable precautions. Cinnamon: You will sink your body beneath bathwater. You can ignore the darkness in the sides of your ribcage. You cannot avoid the shadows on your fingertips. Eucalyptus: It will get better before it gets worse. To contain the infection, gathering in groups will be prohibited. The tremors will return and they will be violent. You must always wear long pants to keep the insects from your ankles. Rosemary: If you find dead birds, leave them be. Avoid physical contact-- it can spread through saliva of the infected. Wrap black thread around fingertips to keep the sickness contained: Stay home, live alone, and abstain. Amy LeBlanc is an MA student in English Literature and creative writing at the University of Calgary and Managing Editor at filling Station magazine. Amy's debut poetry collection, I know something you don’t know, was published with Gordon Hill Press in March 2020. Her novella "Unlocking" will be published by the UCalgary Press in their Brave and Brilliant Series in 2021. Her work has appeared in Room, PRISM International, and the Literary Review of Canada among others. She is a recipient of the 2020 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award.
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