to what end?

when the can
of radio wires circled
the earth
emitting a constant
beep
we covered our
heads, sweated, peered
upward into the sky,
gnashing our
teeth.
it was the beginning of
the end.
the red scare
would soon be in our
homes,
be everywhere.
soon, you were learning
how to crouch beneath
your wooden
desk to protect you
from the atomic bomb,
you were released from school
and told, under
the sirens wail
to run straight home.
to what end?