One by one, we tragically hear,
Silently, we mourn each one;
This soldier is someone’s father,
husband, wife, sibling, daughter, son.
Our soldiers bravely fight;
We, the people, love them all.
These are our most precious men and women;
Our hearts break to see one fall.
They go with determination
Of their mission, they are sure;
They are fighting for Jewish survival,
Hamas can exist no more.
An anxious mother collapses;
“Please don’t let it be true.”
Her body is shaking,
She is trembling through and through.
Her hands cover her face,
She lets out a piercing cry.
“My baby, my heart, my soul;
“Tell me, soldier, how did he die?”
“We entered Gaza courageously,
Marching strong with pride;
Valiantly gripping our weapons,
Searching where the enemy might hide.
We looked for possible ambushes,
We searched for tunnels deep,
Wondering and looking,
Where are the hostages they keep.
Then, from under a hospital,
Emerged animals of war.
Your son shot and kept on shooting,
Until he could shoot no more.
I held him in my arms,
As tears ran down his eyes.
Your son said the most beautiful comments,
Which to me were no surprise.
He said he’d dreamed of a future.
Of a wife, children, and a home,
A life free of running to shelters,
And the blast of the Iron Dome.
He dreamt of kissing his mother,
Hugging his siblings and his dad;
He recalled all his great friends,
And all the fun he’d had.
He grabbed my arm gently,
“Sh’ma Yisrael,” he did cry.
He said, “Please, tell my family,
I sorrowfully say goodbye.
“Please tell them that I love them,
More than they’ll ever know.
I will always be with them,
Wherever they may go.
“I’m sorry to leave them,
We should’ve had many years.
War causes misery, devastation,
Heartache, and endless tears.
“But I fought for my country,
Beside the best of men.
If it was a redo,
I’d enlist once again.
“Our homeland is Israel,
One day, the fight will cease.
Mashiach will come,
Till then, here I’ll rest in peace.”
This mother grabbed her chest,
She was shaken to the core.
She proudly said, “My son is a hero,”
Then, loudly recited the Yizkor!
By Ruki D. Renov
