Two Reflections On The Bomb
1. BOMB TEST [Bikini Atoll, July 1, 1946.) E VEN the bomb an anti-climax. No tesponse: our urge for sensation Crumpled in a cloud of smoke: Even headlines cannot hide The gods’ indifference. HO waited on this day For wonders, waters opening up On what conjectures, Like the hungry Israelites, Turn to our fires and fidget as befcre. [HE land and sea remain, The ocean yields no secret, Wind and tide are undismayed; And we, left waiting, Face our future in a minor key. -Anton Vogt. 2, POSTSCRIPT [THERE'S no point staying any longer At the ait-terminal; the tocket express Is four hours late; Let’s not wait. ERHAPS the engines have broken down And the ship is cruising in circles Through outer spaceIt’s an inhospitable place. IFTY years ago, Mr. Potter, a man named Wells Said the whole universe was ours if we wanted it; Whether ot not he believed it, We've achieved it. Bur sometimes at night, surveying the distant But now so familiar constellations, I could wish that our aplomb Had never been shattered by the Bomb. AND I like to think of stars as they were In the pre-atomic age, mysterious, femote, Subjects for poets to sing about Not tourist attractions to wing ‘about.
John Gifford
Male
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 15, Issue 368, 12 July 1946, Page 23
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215Two Reflections On The Bomb New Zealand Listener, Volume 15, Issue 368, 12 July 1946, Page 23
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