going nuclear

in those days of cold war the phrase 'going nuclear' 

meant an escalation in anger in some situation 

in which the antagonist got so very mad 

all they could see was red 

but it was the days too of the cold war 

when the threat of nuclear annihilation 

was so much part of our discourse 

we would joke about what we would do 

[we being teenagers at the time 

we would pass around the pipe or the bong] 

if we got the final countdown 

the missiles were on their way 

it was a time of paranoia & heady themes 

that even the politicians were wary of 

even the graffiti written on that warehouse on skid row asked 

when will we drop the bomb 

while the radio played 'you dropped a bomb on me' 

by the gap band 

oh we went nuclear alright 

& followed it right down the red line

follow me for 

i am no one

i am no where