Misleading

by Gary Beck / May 4th, 2025

The invention of gunpowder
for use on the battlefield
changed the nature of war
which became more destructive,
since a hail of bullets
was far more destructive
than a hail of arrows
and death by friendly fire
of soldiers and commanders,
occurred more frequently
with the new technology,
but didn’t answer the question:
How can gunfire be friendly?
If a bullet hits someone
I don’t think they really care
whether it’s from friend or foe.
Their loved ones don’t feel better
when they find out painfully
their husband, brother, son
was killed by a buddy.
We should drop the word ‘friendly’
that doesn’t make death easier,
place the blame where it should be,
take responsibility
for wrongful fatality
and call it ‘same side’ fire,
so at least we’ll know
where the shots came from
that weren’t friendly.

Gary Beck has spent most of his adult life as a theater director and worked as an art dealer when he couldn't earn a living in the theater. He has also been a tennis pro, a ditch digger and a salvage diver. His original plays and translations of Moliere, Aristophanes and Sophocles have been produced Off Broadway. His poetry, fiction and essays have appeared in hundreds of literary magazines and his published books include 40 poetry collections, 16 novels, 4 short story collections, 2 collection of essays and 8 books of plays. Gary lives in New York City. Read other articles by Gary.

This article was posted on Sunday, May 4th, 2025 at 8:00am and is filed under Poetry.