Early Days of the Apocalypse

Flying out of formation, the birds seemed free as a lark.
Who noticed five dead sparrows by the edge of the lake in the park?
A spilled river of gravy congealed into a paste.
The yellow stuff people assumed was just some kind of food waste.
Describe “ship.” Quantify “number.” Define them in more than one way.
The ships hanging on the horizon increased in number each day.
News of the illness traveled, making citizens careworn.
No known cure existed, but it wasn’t yet fatal or airborne.

David Galef