“The End of Innocence”
“The End of Innocence”
In Dealey Plaza, hear the Navy mourn:
the choir sings at that appointed hour.
In beauty of his flower, man is born
with glory in his bosom set afire.
And so the madness of one man betrays
our longing to transform and make men free.
Then, brief bystanders turn their face away:
the people shake their heads for they foresee
ripped from our youthful hearts, all trust is torn.
Two priests will witness Kennedy expire
and all the love and all the hate thus borne
cannot renew the Camelot held prior.
One man; one bullet in a Dallas square
may change forever willingness to dare.
(written on the 50th Anniversary of Kennedy Assassination
22 November, 1963, at 1:00 PM CST)
Very well written. And such an appropriate poem for today. I’m too young to remember … But I do recall when our prime minister was shot. So unreal.
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