After the bomb,
when radiation
wreaked its devastation
and the world turned
monochrome,
life leached from crooked limbs
of blackened trees
and poisoned humans.
In the midst of chaos
and confusion,
a mother’s love lit up the sky,
just like the radiation
before the mushroom
imprinted shadows on our souls.
Kim M. Russell, 1st July 2018
My response to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Physics with Björn – Radiation, also linked to Poets United Poetry Pantry
Björn has brought us another piece of physics to inspire our writing, and has enlightened us about the mystery of radiation.
He would like us to use radiation or the stories surrounding it as inspiration for a poem. You can write about the scientists, the weaponry or uses. I think that radiation can be used as metaphor for toxic emotions.
writing in north norfolk 
Heart-wrenching poem and image. To think that these survivors were doomed anyway, because the land itself had been poisoned and death was already flowing through their veins…
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I was tempted to take inspiration from the photo of the little naked girl running, but it’s such a well-known one, I was worried about preconceptions, so I hunted for a photograph that I didn’t know so well. Black and white photographs are so evocative.
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Very good choice. I think black and white photos have the weight of history somehow, no matter how recent. Speaking of the photo of the little girl, last February there was an interview with her on NPR where she talks about her life after that Pulitzer-winning photo was taken. It really puts things in perspective: https://www.pri.org/stories/2018-02-21/how-vietnam-wars-napalm-girl-found-hope-after-tragedy.
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It is astonishing that humans actually dropped those bombs that laid waste whole cities. I hope it never happens again.
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As long as men like Trump are in power, it’s a possibility, I hate to say.
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All these dark times have left their marks on the world, we as a people must be vigilant as history has a way of repeating itself. May it never be so again…Korea worries me…sorry…
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I can’t bear to think about war – it worries me too.
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What a chilling response, and my mind wanders in what happened afterwards… I hope the mother’s love could bring healing to her child… This worries me too… a fear that I grew up with…
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Me too.
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Such a powerful response to the prompt, Kim! The closing image “mushroom imprinted shadows on our souls”..is poignant and will linger in my mind as I contemplate.. sigh..
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Thank you, Sanaa.
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The sight of certain powers will always stay with us. And few things are as powerful as the love of a caregiver. Or, the destruction of human-crafted horrors.
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That is so true, Magaly.
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I think it will happen again Kim and this action would not be confined to Trump, we delude ourselves if we think so.. It is a real fear. I think about it. I worry should it happen, I will be apart from my now grown up children. If I survived – how would I know they were okay?
This afternoon I viewed (a recorded) C4’s Myanmar’s Killings Fields and this brought home to me what I already knew, humankind easily slips back into the primordial soup. In our hearts we are feral.
Enough of this doom and gloom. I hope you are having a lovely day!
Anna :o]
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Thank you, Anna! Unfortunately, I’m still marking GCSE exams. My deadline is midnight tomorrow and I have a stomach upset, so I’ve given up for the day. I’m going to watch The handmaid’s Tale and then go to bed. I hope your day has turned out better than mine. 😉
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Hi Kim! That image is mesmerising. Love in the midst of chaos. You described the devastation perfectly with that phrase..’ life leeched from..’. Made me think.
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Hi Viv! I thought I’d check messages and comments before I go to bed and there was one from you! Hope you’ve had a good weekend. I gave up on marking to watch The Handmaid’s Tale. 😊 Good night and I’ll see you on the poetry trail.
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Yes, good weekend -and how was yours?. Have a good night and def see you soon 🙂
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🙂
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Powerful and chilling. I do hope that we are not on this trail again. The imagery in the poem combined with the picture really tell it all!
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Thank you, Mary.
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“a mother’s love lit up the sky,
just like the radiation
before the mushroom
imprinted shadows on our souls.”
…interesting concept.
ZQ
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Such a world we create–the picture and your poem ate gut-wrenching–
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There’s a similar photograph that was taken in one of the death camps – love always shines through.
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kaykuala
a mother’s love lit up the sky,
just like the radiation
before the mushroom
A mother can anticipate and be a step ahead in most instances!
Hank
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Nothing to be proud of here. You can see the sadness in their faces….
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Powerful writing and the devastation in those faces breaks my heart.
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Thank you, Susie.
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So bittersweet. Mother’s love is grace but not an antidote.
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Most horrific act of humankind… just being in the Hiroshima memorial leaves one numb. And yet, the stockpiles grow.
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It’s a huge concern. You would hope that so-called intelligent beings would learn from history but they never do.
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Yes it is worrisome… only takes one extremely stupid moment….the world needs a reboot on this whole war thing.
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A beautiful ekphrastic poem, Kim. That picture is haunting! And I love the hope of a mother’s love in the face of devastation.
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Thank you, Sarah.
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Beautifully written, brilliantly understated … and how sadly ironic.
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Thank you, Rosemary.
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Wow. Thank you.
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