The year of Foot &; Mouth disease

Gazing out, a day remiscent of summers past,
Balmy warmth, glorious sun - tragically not built to last.
For today is one of many spent resigned to our fate,
Trapped in a time we love to hate.

Engulfed, we feebly await the creature of gloom,
Who remorselessly looms over us to seal our doom.
The animals mercilessly unaware of such despair,
continue their devotion to their young, with pride &; care -
they know not why the fields are bare.

For a second time, the beast has struck,
Our brief respite for the end, we mistook.
The incessant drone fills us with dread,
The din from the wagons that cart the dead.

To all those animals needlessly lost &; to our pet sheep "Teddy",
who put up with so much during the crisis without complaining!