POEM - Nuclear Reaction

A light rain fell over Portland

Overcast with spots of light

What Oregonians call a nice day

You could almost dry out

On a day as nice as this

I was only six or seven

But I knew today was special

A group of teenagers from church

Were under my dad’s direction

Heading out of Gresham

To the remote town of Rainier

On the shores of the Columbia River

Our route hug the river as we headed north

A meandering route through hills and valleys

Every twisting turn exhilarating

I knew where we were going

But I didn’t really know what it meant

Dad called it the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant

It was the big thing at the time

We even learned about it in school

Safe, clean, efficient nuclear power

Was the tag line we were taught

The plant had a tour

Full of interesting facts

And smiling happy faces

Bathed in glorious nuclear powered light

What I remember most were big displays

And tacky red and orange everything

From the carpet to the walls to the tour guides

We looked around until our eyes hurt

Got our recommended dose of radiation

Got back in the cars

Let our eyes adjust

To colors actually found in nature

Then headed back in the direction of home

On the way home I was rewarded

With riding in the other car

So I could talk to my dad

On the cool CB radio

The radio was fun for a few minutes

But being allowed a solo run

Left a bigger impression

A couple years later I would have a poster

That my dad brought home from work

Of a black and white skull

With nuclear cooling towers for eyes

A left field memento of the trip

Fueling my mushrooming cynicism