because the nuclear age is older than me,
i could never dab on chernobyl cologne
in order to smell pretty
when the core melted down.
i could never surf a reckless radioactive wave
on that great old tritium cloud
that poisoned sheep
as far away as scotland.
because the nuclear age is older than me,
i could never taste the hershey kisses
from spent chocolate fuel pools
as an island that should have been three miles
of just trees and squirrels
decided to toss out
nasty isotope whirls.
because the nuclear age is older than me,
i could never do a fist bump
with either of the rosenbergs.
the coldest war they ever fought
was for all the history
that we were never taught.
because the nuclear age is older than me,
i could never swim in a stringbean speedo
on bikini atoll
and cavort with parrot fish
that glowed relentlessly
like lighthouses
that never fade in the fog.
because the nuclear age is older than me,
i never got to attend picnics
at fifties missile tests
and wish that those bombs
would just miss their targets
and kill las vegas
instead of roadrunners
and tumbleweed.
