November 1963

Being in Washington, D.C.
That day
Made my heart sink,
Not with fear of the unknown
But rather with fear in regard
To what was known but unseen.

It stalked America and the world
That grey day in November
As they moved the gleaming bronze coffin
Of the dead President
From the White House
To the Capitol Rotunda.

I saw it pass me on the street.
It was the same U.S. Army caisson
That had transferred the body
Of President Abraham Lincoln
Whose sacrificed body had
Made the same sad journey
A century earlier.

It was hauled from the White House
To the Capitol
By six strong black horses,
While tethered to the gun carriage
Was the same rider-less horse
That had followed Alexander through Babylon
As well as Abraham
With one polished black boot still in the stirrup
But pointing backward toward our loss.

It was history's decision
That great should follow great
Down the same solemn alley-way of Fate.

It was a day to remember,
It was a day to mark down for all eternity.

It was November 1963.
And it was a time amongst the ages to remember.

I became a small part of history
On that day,
As I settled into growing
And becoming
What every thirteen year old boy
Is expected to become
Whether he likes it or not.

For my part I chose not,
And my memory of that day
Was part of that not.

I saw Mrs. Kennedy pass
And all the other assorted
Dignitaries and state officials
From far and wide.

Kings, presidents, movie stars,
And the vast cavalcade
Of all the world's illuminati
Who were resplendent in their isolation
From We
The People.

According to Mr. X,
It was just certain unkind chickens
Coming home to roost,
But for me
It was my own private window
On history.

It was a history of crime and misfortune
That I would dedicate my only long lost life
To trying to understand
In a way that would make me proud
To have once been a part of this long lost
Cavalcade of Life
Down and through
The twisted sinews of Fate
To where I am today
Fully awake at last and wondering
At the vast and beauteous spectacle of it all.

It was November.
It was 1963,
And the grey of that day
Matched perfectly the grey
In my soul.