A Doctors Journal Entry for August 6, 1945

About the poem:A Doctors Journal Entry for August 6, 1945 is a poem about the atomic
bombings of Hiroshima (on 6th August 1945) and Nagasaki (on 9th August 1945), the only use of
nuclear weapons for warfare in history. That makes it an anti-war poem. This poem was
published in 1990 in the first issue of Volume 49 of the magazine Meanjin.
Summary:
The poem consists of 63 lines in total. These lines are not divided into stanzas. Here they are
divided into meaningful segments for the purposes of this summary in order to make this poem
easier to follow and understand. This poem is written in first person. The narrator is the doctor
who is referred to in the title of the poem.
Lines 1 4:
In these lines, the doctor describes a calm and mild-weathered morning in which he found
himself partially naked and lying on the ground. He looked around and saw the leaves of trees
shaking and shadows everywhere. Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light, soon followed by
another like it.
Lines 5 10:
In these lines, the doctor describes how the top of his house appeared to be lit by something that
he thought were magnesium flares. As soon as he noticed that, the roof and the walls fell down in
a heap of wood and there was dust rising up from the pile. The doctor found himself thrown into
the garden, and the drawers and undershirt he had been wearing were gone.
Lines 11 14:
In these lines, the doctor says that he saw a slender piece of wood sticking out of his thigh which
had been ravaged completely. The doctors right side was bleeding and so was his cheek, out of
which he pulled out a shard of glass. All the time he was feeling distracted for he was trying to
figure out what had happened.
Lines 15 18:
In these lines, the doctor describes how he called out to his wife to see where she was. The artery
in his neck started bleeding and he was sure he would die soon.

Lines 19 22:
In these lines, the doctor says that his wife appeared, holding up her elbow and looking very
scared and weak. The doctor assured her that they would be alright and asked her to leave the
house. As soon as they stepped onto the street, they tripped over something.
Lines 23 31:
In these lines, the doctor reveals that it was the head of a dead man that they had tripped on, for a
gate had fallen over him and killed him. The doctor and his wife watched in fear as a house
collapsed before their eyes. It caught fire and the fire spread because it was being blown around
by the wind. At this point, they realized that they needed to go to the hospital for help. The
doctor wanted to help his employees as well, but did not know how to do so.
Lines 32 35:
In these lines, the doctor says that he couldnt stand any longer, and sat on the ground. He was
thirsty, but there was no water in the vicinity. He was panting, but eventually he was able to stand
up again.
Lines 36 41:
In these lines, the doctor says that even though he was still naked, he wasnt ashamed of himself,
and this thought unsettled him somewhat. Then he came across a soldier, and this soldier gave
him a towel to wipe his wounds with, but his legs couldnt bear to be touched as the blood on
them had dried up already. The doctor told his wife to go to the hospital leaving him behind, for
he was slowing them both down.
Lines 42 45:
In these lines, the doctor says that his wife did not wish to leave him behind, but ultimately she
agreed to do it. He felt lonely after she left. His mind was moving fast, but his body could not.
Lines 46 51:
In these lines, the doctor describes how people seemed to have been reduced to pale ghosts or
unruly scarecrows, and how none of them were speaking. They were all walking with their arms
in front of them. The poet couldnt figure out why they were doing so, but soon he realized that
their burns were so severe that they could not bear to even touch them against anyone elses
flesh.
Lines 52 55:

In these lines, the doctor describes that the people who had the strength to stand were all trooping
towards the hospital. He also saw a woman and her child naked, and wondered whether they had
gone to take a bath.
Lines 56 59:
In these lines, the doctor describes how he turned away from the naked woman, wondering why
she wasnt trying to cover herself up. Then he realized that everyones clothes had been ripped
off by something.
Lines 60 63:
In this stanza, the doctor describes how an old woman was lying on the ground and she looked
very distressed, but she did not say anything. In fact, no one said anything, and no one even
cried.