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The Duel by Tom Gowdyk
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There we stood, both side by each,
we had the same desire,
To win this competition
here, guns all set to fire.
The targets standing ready,
whistle soon to come,
What happened shortly
after, has me feeling rather numb.
Julie Prosser fired first, while
I then fired two,
Fate then played a nasty trick,
nothing I could do.
One bullet from Australia, as it
hit there with a clang,
It came back, on another path,
just like a boomerang.
I felt a little tingle then, on
the left side of my face,
Holstering my weapon there, and
standing right in place.
The trickle started quickly, and
soon became a gush,
Range staff running everywhere,
all in quite a rush.
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It did not take too long
for me, standing there in spot,
Guns and blood, could mean one
thing, Dammit!,
“I’ve been shot”!
I walked around a little bit, “just
a scratch”, I said,
Everything went quickly black,
as more and more I bled.
So here I sit in hospital, twelve
hours have gone by,
The Doctors have all told me, I’m
quite a lucky guy.
I wonder if they’ll operate, under
all the whisker hair,
To remove that pesky bullet piece,
stuck inside me there.
Julie! I’m still kicking,
I’ll be back there one day soon,
Then we can have a showdown, on
the range there at high noon.
Next time give me warning, so I
won’t feel like a fool,
I really had no inkling that, we
were there to fight a duel.
PC 664 T.J. Gowdyk 00-04-11
(188)
Tom is a Police Officer in Vancouver,
BC
His website is: http://members.tripod.com/~Sir_Fuzz/
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ARTIMUS
JOHNSON
by Harry Martin Polis
The poem Artimus Johnson
is dedicated to my old partner who was killed while on a narcotics
investigation.He had transferred to that unit to see more action.Art
had told me his new partner, Sergeant Michael Lingham, was shot
and killed on a previous investigation.Artimus had been with Sergeant
Lingham.Artimus told
me he felt one of the bullets was meant for him.Art was right
a few months later, when he too was killed.I wrote this poem as
a memorial to my friend and partner, and to all the fallen officers.
Artimus Johnson
In the mirror lake
when a grasshopper distorts
The sun and mountains
are rippled
Where heartfelt and
handshake
blend in knowing
That secret tapestry
that weaves us together
Forever
lost on that pirate ship
Where assassins’ bullets
pierce hearts in flesh
But not in spirit
Where our paths crossed
and I understood
Another human and
I
shared a feeling
Where in the morning
darkness
I heard your name
For
the last time in life—
You already cold
Tears and shock
were my awakening
To a new day
A day in which the
light
Would bypass you
On your journeyThe
sun and mountains are rippled
Where heartfelt and
handshake
blend
in knowing
That secret tapestry
that weaves us together
Forever lost on that
pirate ship
Where assassins’ bullets
pierce hearts in flesh
But not in spirit
Where our paths crossed
and I understood
Another human and
I
shared a feeling
Where
in the morning darkness
I heard your name
For the last time
in life—
You already cold
In the darkness of
night
where we talked
Thoughts flashed into
my mind
In its reflection
Of
my knowledge of you
A brother is slain
And all the world
chews gum
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But
not in spirit
Where our paths crossed
and I understood
Another human and
I
The moral fiber
Bursts at its seams
An end to our dreams
We spoke
and understood each
other
as comrades in arms
against unknown enemies
The fight is over
for you
At thirty-two
The trip is finished
My black brother
My fight continues
In other directions
Without loss of my
sightings
Of its purpose
Without the hardness
Of life’s back step
And splash of dirt
In our faces
The sun is shining
today
And I’m heartsick
I, too, have died
In another sense.
Artimus Johnson, Police
Officer,
City of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
Has passed into the
abyss
10-20-75, 11:34 P.M.
and all the world
chews gum.
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Copyright
1979 by Harry Martin Polis and dedicated to Artimus Johnson and all the
police officers who have given their lives in the performance of their
duty.
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Guns
As
I was writing this column, I heard on the news that a boy was
critically injured after being shot at the movies in a mall in
Northeast Philadelphia. Once again, we are reminded of the
billions of guns blanketing our society today. When I was
a boy, I had a 22-caliber rifle, which my father taught me to
use in the proper way for target practice and hunting. I
would no longer hunt anything or kill any animal for sport.
But the point is, even as a teenager, I knew how to handle guns
and I understood their danger and use. As a grown man, I
was in the Army. There, I learned to fire M-14 and M-16
rifles. I was a sharpshooter. Later, when I was a
police officer, I learned to handle a 38-caliber handgun.
I was a good shot then too. The military and the police
department taught us about safely handling firearms.
I would not consider keeping a gun in the house now, because
I have a teenage son. Even when our daughter Honey was young,
I felt it was dangerous to have a gun. While I was a police
officer and had to have a gun, I used to unload it as soon as
I got home. I stored the gun under lock and key and I put
the bullets elsewhere. This was all in the name of safety.
I am distraught today thinking about all the weapons circulating
just in Philadelphia. It is true that people, not guns,
kill people. But we have too many guns available.
Our children are being killed. We are paying the price for
the “freedom to bear arms”. I wish handguns were not for
sale in our nation. It would be better if we were like other
Western countries. We are losing our youth to gun violence
and I am sick at heart about it. Where are we going with
all this violence? What can be done? I myself would like
to live far away from the action—guns that is. It frightens
me to hear about people being shot on buses, on the street, and
in the movies. What will it take for us to do something
about this situation? How many must die? We are a
sick and angry society. I for one would like to be far away
from it all. Perhaps one day, I will be. Then, I can
give the old “blessing”: “A plague on both your houses.”
Copyright 1999 by Harry Martin Polis
E-mail: harrymartinpolis@yahoo.com
ICQ # 10954537
Harry is available for lectures
and entertainment with stories and poetry.Contact SCOOP USA, or
e-mail Harry.
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Edited and encouraged by Jaynee Levy-Polis |
