For The Night Soil Men Read It On The Walls Poem by ed purchla

Twice did (XVII) Dickens write,
Sickening him as it did,
This gross (XI) character
Pervading (II) London, noble
Once, whose putrid (VI) stench
Did paint the (XIV) city squalid.
[ ]
I. Raw Umber Brown
II. Overcast Slate
IV. Deep Azure
V. Oily Black
VI. Mustard Green
VIII. Cognac Brown
[ ]
Taking center (VIII) stage,
In truth it was the (XV) water,
As (IV) Dr. Snow would
Prove, via the Broad Street (IX) pump,
Disproving favored
Beliefs in the (XVIII) 'miasma.'
[ ]
IX. Iron Gray
XI. Dull Gray-Brown
XII. Sallow Green
XIV. Pewter Gray
XV. Murky Olive
XVII. Charcoal Gray
[ ]
And though (XII) cholera
Ceased its (XX) outbreaks for a (XIX) time,
The wretched, fetid
(XXV) River, still flowed, making the
(XXII) Westminster (XXI) tools hang
(XXX) Curtains soaked in (XXVII) chloride lime.
[ ]
XVIII. Pale Sea Mist
XIX. Dusk Violet
XX. Weathered Grey
XXI. Pallid Taupe
XXII. Blue-Green Slate
XXIII. Warm Peach
[ ]
Wealthy (XLII) MPs and
(XXXII) Businessmen, didn't invest,
As (XXXI) 'reason enough'
Was never uttered by them,
After all, it was
Just the (XXXVI) poor that got the worst
Of it, until that
(XXIII) Summer of '58, when
Both (XXVI) exploiters and
(XXXIII) Exploitees walked pinching their
Sweating (XXIX) nostrils tight.
[ ]
XXIV. Rustic Clay
XXV. Darkened Verdant from a Distance
XXVI. Bronze Gold
XXVII. Milky Gray, Chalky Green, and Pale Beige Gray
XXVIII. Sky Blue
XXIX. Grape Purple
[ ]
‘Twas (XLV) Bazalgette, the (XXVIII) savior,
Who drew up the (XLIII) plans,
More than 1,100
(XXIV) Miles of (XL) brick (V) sewers,
Various immense (XXXV) stations
Meant to push the (XXXVIII) waste
Through, and he designed it all
Larger than need be
At the (XIX) time, to account for
The (XXXVII) population
That was growing fast and would
Surely continue.
[ ]
XXX. Rose Pink, Crimson, Sage Green, Grayish-Green, Slight Hazelwood Chamois
XXXI. Soft Silver
XXXII. Midnight Navy
XXXIII. Blood Red
XXXIV. Smoky Quartz
XXXV. Gunmetal Blue
[ ]
And though the man's (XLI) name has no
Doubt been forgotten,
Unlike the sensational
(XLIV) Events that pepper
An (XLVIII) empire's (XXXIV) history.
[ ]
XXXVI. Dusty Taupe
XXXVII. Cool Mint Green
XXXVIII. Olive Drab
XXXIX. Moss Green
XL. Clay Red
XLI. Soft Linen
[ ]
Such (XLVII) innovation
Backed by (XLIX) wallets finally
Pried open with a
(XLVI) Situation that even
They could no longer
Ignore, proved to show
Just what can be achieved when
The whole (XXXIX) world smells like (I) sxxt.
[ ]
XLII. Oxford Blue
XLIII. Graphite Gray
XLIV. Marigold Yellow
XLV. Regal Purple
XLVI. Amber Yellow
XLVII. Vibrant Cyan
XLVIII. Imperial Gold
XLIX. Emerald Green