Nuclear Winter

[Thinas]

A little poem that sprung to mind these days. I'm not often into poetry, but I thought I'd share it anyway. I realize that it's depressing, but it wasn't made to be enjoyable. Only to provoke thought.

 

Nuclear Winter

 

It's an upside down world we live in.

What's purest considered sinful.

I fear we live in emotional celibacy,

For fear of embarrassing simplicity.

I will have it no more,

but I can't rebel can I?

 

Go on without me if you see fit.

 

Extinguish the fire of passion.

Let sophistication reign,

ban the desires of eros.

Celebrate the mind,

bathe in your own mental superiority.

 

But know that in the shadow of civilization,

you let wither the reason why you live.

 

May you have the strength to help yourself when nuclear winter sets in. For no one else does.

[Peredhil]

Thought-provoking indeed.

 

Heh, Make love not war?

 

I think if I'd written it, I'd have used "fires of passion" - but on reflection, fires is stereotypical, and it's stronger the way it is.

 

For an occasional poet, you hit the spot.

[Gwaihir]

I feel this poem gets stronger as it goes on. I don't know, but the first stanza feels a bit like a complaint to me, but the further on it goes the more I feel a cold reality in the speaker's tone.

 

Excellent ending, and a good poem

[Salinye]

Thinas, I liked this. It reminded me of a Dar Williams song. I don't know if you're familiar with her. She's classified as folk, I think. Anyway, her stuff is Excellent, and she puts on a great concert too. I'm pasting the lyrics to one of her songs, I think you might like it. It has a similiar feel. Although, the words alone don't have as profound a meaning until you hear it. :0) Enjoy, and thank you for sharing!!

 

The Great Unknown

Dar Williams

 

Once upon a time there was a nuclear family,

And we lived in a family time,

And we'd unite in a family way.

And off in the ancient mountain,

They were splitting every nucleus.

They said, "Don't be alarmed,

Just don't try this at home."

And they were the mystery that made the world run

And we had the power, 'cause they were the sun

And we called them our heroes, and the future had come.

They said, "Look at the light we're giving you,

And the darkness we're saving you from."

 

Soon they were bringing it into our showroom,

And they'd unveil it with it's title,

Bring your family, bring your family,

It's the great unknown.

You can look, but you can't fathom,

It's the Great Unknown.

 

I'm no ordinary princess,

I was born in the Cold War,

And my team is the Rockets,

Go team, it's a dangerous time

And I dream of the moon and building lunar clone colonies.

And I build my peace with strength,

That's the best weapon you've got.

Oh, I am the brainchild, I am the mortar,

With a plastic trophy and an eating disorder,

And vision as big as a great big wall,

And they tell me that I'll move forward

For the good of us all,

And the good of nuclear families all.

 

And they think I think I am important.

I know I never was, no, I wasn't.

No, I never, and how could I be?

It's the great unknown.

Now we've built it, now it's ticking,

It's the great unknown.

 

And I am your children, I am millions

And I wanted to sell out, I wanted to try,

But the sky got too low

And the ocean got too high.

And I tried to take God into my own hands

Am I too late? Is it over?

Have I sacrificed my family to the great unknown?

There's a war between my conscience and the great unknown.

 

So I walked out into the gamma fields

Out in Mercury, Nevada.

Where I stood in circle,

And that circle started to pray.

And the wind at the nuclear test sites

Floats the data of the radiation.

From the underground testing,

Cross the line, you'll get arrested.

And we came from all over in a silent appeal

As the drill comes down like a presidential seal.

And we stand for the living, and we stand for the dead,

And we looked out to see your enemies,

And we see that you're looking all at us instead.

 

And you think I am being disruptive?

But no, I'm running home, I'm running,

'Cause I'm trying to put the atom back together.

It's the great unknown.

I'm just trying to put the atom back together.

It's the great unknown.

[Vlad]

This... is deep, Thinas.