Nukes Poems

Gunter Grass 'What Must Be Said' translation

“Was gesagt werden muss” (“What must be said”)
by Gunter Grass
translation by Michael R. Burch

Why have I remained silent, so long,
failing to mention something openly practiced
in war games which now threaten to leave us
merely meaningless footnotes?

Someone’s alleged “right” to strike first
might annihilate a beleaguered nation
whose people march to a martinet’s tune,
compelled to pageants of orchestrated obedience.
Why?

Categories: nukes, international, islamic, jewish, silence,
Form: Free verse

No To War, No To Nukes

No discrimination, no greed, no war!
In unity and peace, let us stand tall,
Nations, come together, heal the scar,
With love and compassion, we'll break the fall.

Scars of the past, not for vengeance to cling,
But as precious lessons, let's hold them tight,
War, a resolve that wrath will bring,
Evil's deceit, war's traitorous might.

Hitler hiding, like a rat in

Categories: nukes, betrayal, christian, hate, humanity,
Form: Rhyme

Hiroshima Poems I

Hiroshima Poems I

Let Us Be Midwives!
by Hiroshima survivor Sadako Kurihara
loose translation/interpretation by Michael R. Burch

Midnight...
the basement of a shattered building...
atomic bomb survivors sniveling in the darkness...
not a single candle between them...
the odor of blood...
the stench of death...
the sickly-sweet smell of decaying humanity...
the groans...
the moans...
Out of all that, suddenly, miraculously, a voice:
"The baby's coming!"
In the hellish

Categories: nukes, child, children, eulogy, father,
Form: Verse

Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry

Lay Down Your Arms

Lay Down Your Arms
by Michael R. Burch

Lay down your arms; come, sleep in the sand.
The battle is over and night is at hand.
Our voyage has ended; there's nowhere to go . . .
the earth is a cinder still faintly aglow.

Lay down your pamphlets; let's bicker no more.
Instead, let us rest here on this ravaged shore.
The

Categories: nukes, beach, conflict, environment, holocaust,
Form: Verse

65 Years From Now

65 years from now
My silence will be loud
You dare not care when I had sung
for you only listen under defcon one

65 years from now
You will ask how
You always went with the truth
and went with the red, white, and blue

65 years from now
No more flowers on the ground
You looked at the past as something sick
Now the

Categories: nukes, allegory, america, atheist, bible,
Form: Rhyme

No More Nukes

Don't watch the 6 o'clock news each day
Depressing as hell, people flailing away
It's the same old crap
In control, scary chaps
Make sure they keep the H-bombs at bay

Categories: nukes, peace,
Form: Limerick

No Nukes

No Nuke's !

 You have polluted are o zone with your hair spray & gas
 No one in this life gets by on any free pass
 Become a gentleman by not sticking it to the man
 When will we understand the great man with the plan
 We stand sideways with one hand holding onto the

Categories: nukes, anxiety, baby, beach, beautiful,
Form: Free verse

Put Down Nukes, Put Up Yir' Dukes- - - - - - - --------

HUMAN BEINGS MAN...don't tell me it was necessary!
Couple hundred thousand people obliterated in a few seconds is beyond the realms of scary.

Truman you musta' been sniffin' glue man...you know you didn't need to do it. 
I can hear ya' today giving the A-ok to the Enola Gay, "Kill 'em all...men screw it!"

And not only did

Categories: nukes, death, dedication, peace, political,
Form: Couplet

Nukes

NUKES
First Stanza

Clear was the day
Bright was the sun
The clouds were happy
And the skies
Azure
Beleaguered the city was an aura of serenity
Sparrows leaped towards the horizon
Into the deep heavens
The city was blissful
Its oppidan denizens did their daily duties
There was no presage of distress
Except the trouble they had brought from their houses
But like the devil came this steel

Categories: nukes, warcity,
Form: Epic