Colors look different

at night

unless you elude the day

altogether

not knowing the difference

made all the difference

as we were drawn to the neon

pinks and blues

calling us into dance halls and clubs

and away from the common angst

of things falling from the sky

that could end it all

neon bursts indeed

glowing cities

glowing people

sparkling

against a dark nuclear winter.

Distraction is all we had

being powerless to

the prevailing theory

of First Strike

or Massive Retaliation

or sustainable losses

whatever evolved

involved devolution

human retrograde

less of us

grunting in the darkness

like all of us

in the dance hall

under a neon sign

marked “Exit”.

 

-Danny Grosso