It savages metal. Leaping from nail, to hull, to clock. Anything with the smallest metallic part is ravaged. Including the iron in our blood. Including the metal ions that form the enzymes in our bodies. The slightest touch and any trace of metal is corrupted.
We retreat into the woods. Not perfect safety. Plenty of zinc in the soil. But better than the cages we made for ourselves. Our houses became cages overnight. Their walls run with copper, which leaks into the plaster.
The rust will come for us eventually. For now, we are surrounded by green leaves and the sun that shines through them. Ousted, we at least breathe fresh air again.
Paddy Dobson
7th March 2021