Hot Peace

This poem imagines the feelings of an abstract inventor of the atomic bomb (not necessarily the actual person) witnessing its first test. This poem does’t pretend to be historically accurate, nor, in fact, does it have to be about the atomic bomb per se, it is rather about the responsibility that comes with unleashing tremendous power in whatever form. 

Hot Peace

The agony of the swelling earth.

The instant rupture of living skies.

The curse pronounced upon the land.

The fearless fright in the eye of a man.

The orange sun sired in the soil.

The restless hump of the heavy haze.

The viscous drag of the dying dust.

The disbelieving act of trust.

– I merely desired to comprehend,

I never professed I would take the reins.

– The price of knowledge is often steep,

Taste not the spring, or else drink deep.

The sizzling ashes gravitate up.

The open gashes try to speak.
We took a step, we chose a way –

Welcome to the bright new day!