Stanislav Petrov

It was the year 1983
September 26th
Directly below cosmos 1382
To a casual observer looking down from space the snow 
And ice fields of the Arctic reached out towards the earth
The curve of the earth compressed it into a thin line 
Separating night and day stretched across the north pole
Deafening sound
Flashing light
On this particular day something went wrong
A red button may turn a blue planet into a black battered distressing
Into a despicable vile-smelling piece of shit
You could have been addressed with deference
Instead you saved the world