The Ruins of the World

By Andrew R. Duckworth

In the aftermath
Of the worst weapon,
Oppenheimer recalled
The Bhagavad Gita -
“Now I am become Death,
The destroyer of worlds.”
Was it pride or guilt?

The man, the one stepping
In the ruins of the world
Hides his head in his hands
And weeps as he did
When he was a child.