Wet Hem

In the olden days,
when you got caught in the rain,
people panicked, and
went looking for you
on horseback.
You would most likely faint
in a scratchy bush.
When you got home
they said,
let's get you out of these wet things!
and sent you to bed.
You’d probably get a fever,
which may or may not break.
A solemn, elderly doctor
would arrive in a carriage,
and shake his head at your mother.
Then you got a cough, and died in December,
all because of a wet hem.