under the nuclear threat
first with Nixon,
with his Mutually Assured Destruction.
Then under Reagan and Thatcher
with their studied
belligerance and
half-cooked idealism.
Our teacher in Room 14
told us about the
hands of the clock
showing 5 minutes to
midnight.
Told us how it showed
the state of the world.
Which quietened us down a bit
as we looked at those
skeletal fingers so close together.
And now, there's another,
seemingly mad brained man.
Full of testosterone
"look at my missiles"
and "we'll head them off at the pass".
God save us
because
no one here will
if this guy pulls
the
damn
trigger.
© Hamish Mack
