From a book in progress, "Riding the Absolute." First published in "New Millennium Writings."

GROUND ZERO
    -- 1953, U.P.R.R.

   The cause of this disease is unknown,
   but (pick one) genetics, certain viruses,
   & exposure to radiation may play a role.

You thundered in from Vegas
riding a hotshot, clouds of glory
in your eyes. Throttle back,
my papa, swing
down from the
cab. How those glistening rails
called to you, the switchfrogs,
the yellow wonder of it, the croak.

...and we stood at the
kitchen window, E=MC5,
parents & brothers
watching flashes of dawn
at 4:00 AM,
lingering bursts
of artificial suns, unaware how
history seeps into the bones,
how legacy thins the blood.

At supper mother mentioned
something about mushrooms
but clouds were all the same
to me.
Early morning holocausts
against the window pane, my
darling father's shrouded life
reflected in unimaginable eyes.