In the poem “The Diameter of the Bomb” Amichai reflects on his feelings and experience with war by narrowing the focus down to one of its key perpetrators, a bomb. The poem starts with precise measurements of the bomb; the diameter of the bomb in centimeters, the diameter of the range of the bomb in meters and so on. I feel he includes these particular details to emphasize that people tend to get concerned with the statistics and they forget to acknowledge the deep emotional impact war has on individuals. Amichai wants people to ponder less on the numbers and focus more on showing compassion for humans. The diameter of a bomb ranging 7 meters may seem small but the emotional suffering that it causes, has no end. In his poem he mentions, “and the solitary man mourning her death/at the distant shores of a country far across the sea.” A woman loses her life and a man in another country is devastated by her loss. The results of war and violence are not “exclusive” to one area. The effects of such tragedies reach the entire world and to God who bears witness to it all. There is this emotional connection to how people from all corners of the world can be mentally and physically impacted by the horrifying outcomes of war/bombings. Then there is this spiritual reference Almichai makes in which he is inferring that these inhumane actions are being carefully noted and assessed by God as well.
I agree with your idea that the author wants the reader to realize that the audience forgets the emotional baggage that comes with war. The damages of war are far more than just physical, there is a lot of emotional damage to anyone affected by it. Many of these soldiers have families overseas that will not be able to see them due to the casualties of war. I think Amichai also mentions the length of the bomb to symbolize how something so small can cause so much damage, regardless if it was emotional or physical.