Tel Aviv summer

Tank tops, shiny skirts, honeyed Naot tan lines, salt on lips 
from ocean or from tequila
Let's go out tonight, someone called out and too fast everyone agreed        
Rush for showers, bites of pita,
Hummus on my makeup bag
Striding, dancing, giggling to
Rechov Haaliya

Wait —
The club without a shelter?

My boss pulled the car over and we laid face down on the asphalt highway today
I prayed for the first time since I left home
“Kill, exterminate, death to the Zionists” ditty on TV overplays
Black artillery smoke clouds creep onto the beach where I run
My brother-in-law deploys tomorrow

 Can you grab the araq?
It'll be fun!

From the author: This was a poem I wrote years ago about living a summer in Israel as an American young adult during another, less lethal round of violence. I was existentially wary and afraid for my people & country perpetually in conflict with another suffering people, while relatively physically safe & attempting to live "normally" that summer. It feels relevant to share with the current war ongoing; I have no interest in diminishing the violence & loss of life of the current conflict or politically engaging, it was just a personal experience that changed my life in many ways. War and hatred is horror.

Leore Lavin is a rising 4th year medical student at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, passionate about dermatology, toxicology, and climate change adaptability. She has an MS in Public Health with a focus in toxicology and is doing a research year in cancer dermatology at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Outside of research, LL is an avid cyclist, lover of road trips and aunt of 6.