Welcome to Hiroshima

Ignominious Actions

Upon the beginning of Mary Jo Salter’s “Welcome to Hiroshima” materializes as a visual holiday to a different country. However, the detail of imagery reveals a different sort of poem. The theme of the poem is a gloomy look at how humans destroy each other. The careful imagery of the lingering effects of war, the devastation of human life and the shadowy unknowns of the future through images of shock, guilt and numbness bring the event to life.
The persona recounts the bomb and admits its’ devastating effects. Describing the bomb with a simile “like a beer”(6) gives a pleasant appearance.. The persona describes the bomb with a tone of wonder and awe. Images of ‘foam” and “thirst” suggest a quest for more knowledge. The awestruck persona wants to know more about the unimaginable event.
The longing for knowledge is established. The persona begins to describe the devastation left be...