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For whoever experienced
The explosion of the atomic bomb,
Either here or far removed,
Words cannot convey
The feeling of this place.
It's been fifty years and two
And now with 50,000 nuclear warheads,
Our military/industrial institutions
Have stretched this prototype
Of ultimate holocaust.
The testing continues unabated.
In nineteen forty-five
The people of Hiroshima
Went about their tasks
That morning — August 6, at 8:15 am.
The laughter of children
The sounds of going to work
The bright morning sun
AND THEN
As we strive to imagine
The possible impact today
Of extended nuclear war,
The common people of the world
Feel numb and helpless.
They shudder at America's boast
"We can win a nuclear war"
And the testing goes on and on.
Obediently,
We wave our flags,
Send our children off to school
Turn on our TV sets
To hear the latest justification
For nuclear preparedness.
AND THEN
