By Rus Bowden

Long-distance runner Majed Abu Marahel, the first Palestinian to compete at the Olympics in 1996, died in Gaza on Tuesday due to Israel’s inhumane blockade on medication and the destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system. — The Palestine Chronicle, June 16, 2024

Bombs from the sky, one way to kill—
a pilot and crew return
knowing the slaughter.

Bullets flock from an automatic weapon—
a gunner looks his prey in their living
eyes and they drop dying or dead.

We take up arms knowing how we kill others
for the decided good and future of humankind—
we kill alongside comrades and
for those we love today.

Destroying a healthcare system, however,
blocking medication
from the shivering, delirious sick
who die suffering endless, painful days and nights,
the saddest nights that yield a life sentence to each loved one—

what do they write in the obituary?—
not that a bomb fell explosively or crushingly
or a bullet pierced his brain—
but “He died after a long illness,
his organs gave way and heart stopped.”

– Rus Bowden, the former managing editor of the InterBoard Poetry Community, was born and lives in Lowell MA USA.  He’s a proud grandfather who loves their birthday parties, and enjoys spending retirement years with his lovely Mary, who sings and writes.