An inferno engulfs the chaotic streets,
Frightened cries echo through the devastated city.
Smoke and dust blur her vision,
Her worn out legs trembling as she stands,
Bare feet grazed by debris.
The young girl stumbles through the broken city,
Her eyes acknowledge the destruction of her home.
Nuclear energy radiates through the air,
And pulsates against her skin.
"The bomb," she thinks bitterly.
"This is all because of the nuclear bomb."
Corpses lay, scattered around the pavement,
Their faces too damaged to recognize.
The scent of burning flesh
Lingers in the air.
Her pale skin is blistering from radiation,
As a white hot fire spreads through her body.
Cracks web through her skin,
She screams in agony,
Tears and blood falling from her scarred face,
As she falls to the ground,
Feeling lightheaded.
"My city," she thinks.
"My beautiful Hiroshima."

She remembers a time,
When Hiroshima was a place of sheer beauty,
The streets bustling with activity,
Citizens grinning,
Joy radiating off the crowd.
Sunlight glinted off the Ota River,
The turquoise hue of the river,
Fresh silky water lapping against the shore.
Sakura dot the tree branches,
Breathing life and color,
Into the city.
Hiroshima was a palace of elegance,
Life was joyful,
Her world was perfect,
Her green earth was perfect.

She opens her eyes,
Waking up from her dream,
To a nightmare.
She screams,
Her voice laced with despair.
A dead body lies next to her.
It is her mother.
Her mother's eyes are open,
But they are empty.
A void of darkness.
She knows without touching her
That her life is gone.
The mother who created her,
The mother who raised her,
The mother who loved her.
She raises her shaking hand,
And strokes her mother's blood-ridden cheek.
The young girl weaves her fingers,
Through her mother's raven black hair,
Crying.
Teardrops land,
On her mother's soft cheek,
As she weeps,
For she was too late to save her mother,
When she needed her the most.

She scans her surroundings,
Her eyes red from tears.
The world shattering,
Before her eyes.
The air is filled with wretched,
Painful sounds.
The earth will never heal,
The earth will never repair,
The earth will never be the same.
Everlasting scars will haunt
The city of her dreams.
Streets are filled with terrified citizens,
Crying out for help.
The smiles from their faces have vanished,
Replaced with looks of pure terror.
Debris and ash fill the Ota River,
Tinting it a musty gray color.
Sakura have disappeared from the branches,
Escaping terror and tragedy,
That would torment the city,
For years to come.
She bows her head,
Her tears combined with the ashes
That fell from the sky.

Out of nowhere,
A metal beam falls from a building,
And onto her legs.
She cries out in pain,
Blood spurting from her wound,
She cannot move.
She widens her eyes,
Struggling to stay conscious.
Chaos rages around her,
But she is alone.
All alone.
Red spots dance before her eyes,
As she remembers her mother.
The brown eyes.
The warm smile.
How she would tuck her in every night.
It is all gone now.
The young girl finally closes her eyes,
And draws her final breath.
The final tear slips between her eyes,
As darkness envelopes her vision and she leaves her world.