The mark of an AR-15

by Robert Bach / July 14th, 2024

“AR-15 Wound in the ER”
I shudder with images from the past

High velocity wounds, collateral damage
Pulverized tissue

“Multiple patients”
One man, one gun,

Righteous anger wells up
Why aren’t they banned?

A face beyond recognition in the trauma room
A tube in his windpipe to keep him alive

Another with a shattered right thigh
Robbed of its blood supply

Call plastic surgery, call orthopedics
Call the newspaper, call WABI

The public needs to see what we see
Blood dripping from a stretcher

Robert Bach is an elderly retired surgeon and palliative care physician with history of volunteering in Nicaragua's Atlantic Coast over forty years. Read other articles by Robert.

This article was posted on Sunday, July 14th, 2024 at 8:02am and is filed under Poetry.