Brown paste paper
Covering slivers of air-space
Between door frame and wall
Between window and window sash
And "Don't forget the keyhole"-
Airtight!
Really uptight!
In
the sealed room
sitting
waiting
thinking - Will it be me?
Statistics say the chance is small-
minimal
One in hundred of thousands
One.
Will I be the One who
Will be found under the debris
The One. Will it be me?
In
the sealed room
waiting
pulling the straps tighter
testing the air intake
Is it really airtight?
Is the filter
Working properly
waiting
sitting on the bed
masked
against poisoned gas
making assurance doubly sure-
In
the sealed room in a gas mask
In
the sealed room
thinking
sitting
waiting
listening
to radio announcers'
constant barrage-
"Go to your sealed room!
Put on your gas mask!
Stay in your sealed room"-
in English, French, Russian, Arabic
Listening
to television announcers'
sinister predictions-
"Chemical spearheads"
Nuclear weapons
Ground warfare"
In
the sealed room
sitting
thinking
waiting
listening for
The Boom
The Doom!
