August Sixth, Eight Fifteen

This poem wants to commemorate the first atomic bomb dropped on humans by humans—the devastating attack on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, exactly 80 years ago yesterday. It reflects on the immense human loss and suffering caused that day. Despite this dark history, nuclear threats remain today, with leaders like Putin, regimes such as Iran, and countries including North Korea and Pakistan continuing to threaten with atomic destruction. The poem stands as a solemn warning that humanity has yet to learn from its catastrophic mistakes.
 



A cloudless sky, the summer heat was still.
The sirens silent. Children walked to school.
A silver plane flew high above the hill—
No warning, just the logic of the cruel.

Its name was Enola Gay, and in her bay
A weapon forged in secrets, pride, and fear.
The bomb was Little Boy. That day,
It grew into a god, and scorched the sphere.

It struck at 8:15. The morning cracked.
Steel, stone, and skin all vanished into dust.
No time for breath. No prayers. The daylight blacked.
A firestorm erased both life and trust.

Some lived, but wished they hadn't. Skin like thread,
Eyes wide in horror, dragging what remained.
The river took the burning and the dead.
The world just watched. Then watched again, unmoved, unchanged.

One hundred forty thousand lives were lost—
But not enough to change the path we tread.
We built still more, ignored the human cost,
And walked through ruins, dearming stars instead.

Now Putin speaks of warheads, targets, smoke.
Medvedev grins and hints at Western ash.
The silence grows between each shouted stroke.
We learned precisely nothing from the flash.

Not all at once will history explode.
It comes in steps. In warnings brushed aside.
The past lies buried near a children's road.
We mark the date. Then shrug. And take the ride.
🌷(4)

6 August 45HiroshimaEnola GayLittle Boynuclear threatatomic bombremembrance

◄ Off-Key But Still in Tune

If... ►

Comments

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Rolph David

Sat 9th Aug 2025 08:11

Good morning Stephen,
Thank you for lifting that particular line from the poem and holding it up again — it’s the one that still echoes loudest for me too. In repeating it, you’ve shown how it lingers, almost like an aftershock, and how it sums up the tragedy of our failure to learn. Your comment carries the same quiet urgency as the poem itself, and I’m grateful you took the time to let it resonate out loud. And thanks for your 🌷
Kind regards,
Rolph

Good morning Hélène,
Your comment reads like a story that could be its own short poem — full of quiet humanity. The image of a Pearl Harbor survivor sharing daily coffee with a Japanese man once interned during the war is profoundly moving. It’s a reminder that reconciliation and friendship can grow in the very soil where history once planted deep wounds. Thank you for taking the time to share something so personal and hopeful — it gives the poem an unexpected companion piece in kindness. I also thank you for your 🌷
Kind regards,
Rolph


Good morning Yanma and Hugh,
I want to thank you for your 👍 again! Very nice of you.
Take care,
kind regards,
Rolph

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Hélène

Fri 8th Aug 2025 10:06

We weep in deep sorrow. On that subject, a little story of redemption and forgiveness between two people in a tiny corner of the world. When my husband & I bought our house in southern California, USA, the seller was the son of an elderly Japanese man. The old Japanese fellow had died peacefully in the house, while living there alone with his cat. In his younger years he had been interned in a camp set up in northern Calif. for Japanese during WW II. The house seller (son of this elderly man) told us that as a condition of the sale, we had to meet and be "approved" by the next door neighbors. The next door neighbors were an elderly husband & wife; the husband was a retired US Navy man & survivor of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. The seller told us he was so grateful to the next door neighbors because they kept an eye on his dad and had coffee with him every morning. Two men who suffered and survived. If only we could learn!!! Thanks Rolph for this poem.

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Stephen Gospage

Thu 7th Aug 2025 08:21

'We've learned precisely nothing' is absolutely right, Rolph. Thanks for reminding us all of this terrible moment. The idea that this weapon could ever be used again is unthinkable, except apparently to those you have mentioned.

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