A shiver down the spine

At two minutes to midnight

Nuclear war knocks at our door

The alarm has sounded this is not a drill

One false move and we explode

The edge of the cliff is near

Pre-positioned for maximum fear

Flags fly high on the horizon

So peace could never settle here

Divide and conquer announces the crown

A subsidiary of owned and operated

This is the war to end it all

All it took was a joker and a crook

And the earth shook for one last time

-Camille Delaquise

This poem appears in RISE, Camille’s second contemporary poetry collection. A shiver down the spine reflects on the manufactured brinkmanship of global power — evoking a world held hostage by fear, division and reckless authority at the very threshold of annihilation.

This poem is available as a contemporary poetry print on textured recycled card.