11/22/63 and me

11/22/63 and me

 

 

 

I was featured in a Kennedy poem

the day before Dallas

and the weeping

and the umbrella man

shielding from the tears

 

and the country retraced that motorcade route

countless times

and that window remained open

and that grassy knoll

stayed by the fence

 

and there was the First Lady's pink outfit

at the dry cleaners

but they could not get the stain of her grief

out of the material

 

which over the years became a symbol

for consipiracy

and missals for swearing

in hot sticky corners with coffin background

 

the day the earth stood still around

black and white tv's

with stunned viewers

increasing the Nielson ratings

 

as a country saw Texas

drive a ten gallon hat

into the White House

and a Kennedy poem

concluded 

a November day

as the clock struck one

 

and I was featured

as the teenager

trying to understand

a world gone mad

 

the day I became poetry

as one of those tears

hit me in the eye.

 

 

erin-cilberto

11/22/63

Reviews

[Ted Kniffen]

A day those of a certain age will never forget. Efen as a Canadian I felt a hopefulness that Kennedy would be the leader we craved. Too few men who have followed lived up to that image.
Like most great leaders of that era he was a flawed human being, but he instilled a desire to do more with our lives than we thought we could accomplish.

Thanks j.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Yes, he was flawed...but everyone has flaws, right?
That was a day of total shock.
j.

[Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn..]

Jacob,

Thou has set to pen of page a most profoundly poignant piece of poetry for all of us those whose heads dropped and hearts broke in hearing the news of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a man who, ironically, became the hero of PT-109, survived battle at sea, the loss of his boat, and being marooned with his crew on a Pacific Island, to return home to be murdered by his own countrymen, that were sure as hell not that of a lone gunman and dupe named Harvey Lee Oswald, and if so, not alone least. Our nation was sold a bill of goods, and everyone sensed it ... LBJ? ... A Racist, pompous a*s! ... Ladybird? ... A distant relative of mine on my Granny's Nugent side of the family ...

Hence, the last American President which all Americans, no matter the party affiliations, could rally around, support, respect and admire. America, our nation, has never been the same since that fatal moment and most tragic day in American history.

For your readers who read comments, I suggest watching Kevin Costner's movie JFK, and for the serious truth seeking minded, the book, November 22, 1963: A Brief Guide To The JFK Assassination ... Dare to read it, absorb the documented facts, and you will never believe or accept the lone gunman theory, ever again ...

Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn de Graham

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Yes, JFK was a masterpiece. I think Oliver Stone didn't necessarily try to paint a picture of exactly went down concerning that day...but he definitely wanted us to know it was probably much more complicated than a one-man show.
And the book by Stephen King....very interesting to say the least. If someone could go back and reconstruct the events of that day and things could have turned out differently.
The best part of JFK to me, was the part with Donald Sutherland as Mr. X....he asked the right questions...Why was he Killed and who had the power to cover it up.
j.

[Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn de Graham]

Yeah! Why? ... Most folks want to blame the Russians ... Every time something or other goes amiss in America, it is blamed on the Russians ... Yet, JFK was in the literal process of avidly seeking sustainable peace with the USSR right up until his death ... Had he been pressing against such bettered relations, then, it might make a bit of sense as to why the Soviets (Russians) would want rid of him, but as such was NOT the case at all ... Folks will say that JFK made the Russians back down, but that statement is not altogether true ... The 1962 Missile Crisis with the USSR was the direct result of America placing nukes in Turkey in 1959, right up on within easy striking distance of Soviet soil ... America brought about the Cuban Missile Crisis by placing said nukes in Turkey in attempt to maneuver a position of enabling America to achieve a preemptive strike against the USSR ... All the USSR actually did was to do to the U.S. exactly that which we had done to them, and that tit for tat ... What is not said about the 1962 Crisis is that the Russians were not the only side that agreed to remove nukes from the soil of neighboring nations ... JFK agreed that the U.S. would not attack Cuba, but, most importantly, JFK agreed to remove U.S. nukes from Turkish soil, right next door of up on the back porch of the USSR ..." Kennedy promised to remove American missiles from Turkey but refused to publicly declare a quid pro quo." ... And now, you can more easily assess why JFK was murdered ... The War-Hawkes would not have JFK removing nukes from Turkey, and they remain there to this day, and Ameica & NATO are in process of installation of Defensive Missile systems all along the Eastern European border which is Russia's western border of right beside their nation's house, and most pertinently of all, in that strategic, to Russia's ability to defend itself from attack, area of importance and nation of Ukraine ... And this ongoing fact taking the risk of chancing & progressing towards a World War III is the overt move and strategy of the U.S. & NATO as an attempt to effectively wall Russia in, encapsulate and isolate Russia ... And these ongoing actions are the express reason's justification that motivated Russia to invade Ukraine in the first place ... Ukranians loved Russia and referred to Russia as Mother-Russia, right up until the U.S. succeeded in placing an Americanized Puppet government in power in Ukraine, one which would support U.S. & NATO interests, over those of Russia ... Russia was not the bad guy in 1962, though we were led to believe that they were, and they are not the bad guys now ... America, and it aims of world domination, is the bad guy, and the U.S. seeks to make Russia the fall guy before the eyes of the world ...

Curiously, what Stephen King book are you referring to? I would like to read it. The book I mentioned was written by Jeremy Bujczuk ...

Thanks for sharing this piece that all Americans need to be made aware of, even if through my history oriented babbling ...

Marve

[Desert Knave]

A great job in personalizing the feelings from that day ... I was a 3-year-old and had no idea why everyone was fussing such. Certainly was a clear line in American history that can't be crossed back over. Anyhow, very good write. ~Jim

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Yes, even though Stephen King wrote his novel, 11/22/63 in which he created that very scenario.
read moreYes, even though Stephen King wrote his novel, 11/22/63 in which he created that very scenario.
Thank you, Jim
j.

[Sami Khalil]

The shock and puzzle of the last century; the echoes of the event were felt world-wide.
A great poem that captures Kennedy's assassination; his wife, children and the nation were all distraught and in disbelief.
I can imagine it shaped lots of generations after that to the reality of violence where even the most powerful, beloved are not immune.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

That is a perfect way to describe it, Sami.
"distraught and in disbelief"---
thank you for your words,
j.

[Sami Khalil]

Wow! You are welcome sir Jacob.

[Ken Simm.]

They stopped showing Bonanza on UK TV and I was old enough to be sad about that. It was not until I got older that I knew how wrong I was. That I remember it so clearly is testament enough I think.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

I was 14 and had some grasp of the enormity of what happened...but not as much as when I got older.
thanks, Ken,
j.

[Chris Shaw]

A day I cried as a child when I saw real wickedness on black and white tv. I later saw coloured photographs in a magazine of her pink outfit and cried all over again. Who can ever forget that day of madness. A historical event of epic importance captured in this heart stopping poem dear J.

Chris

[jacob erin-cilberto]

The History channel did a thing about the 24hours after the assassination, I show to my students when we cover the Kennedy Assassination in class.
There are several scenes from that day, in which they show Jackie in her pink dress and the rest of the picture is all in black and white.
thank you, Chris,
j.

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

A sobering poem very good Jacob fantastic actually

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, Julie,
j.

[Patricia Wedel]

dear Jacob.. I remember working as a Secretary where Missiles were sent from Cape Canaveral … stunned forever the day President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas. Your poem encompasses the tragedy in many venues. Our ❤️ Hearts are tattooed with Sorrow. tenderly, Pat

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Thank you, Pat...a changing day in History...
we all cried.
j.

[Weeping willow]

Wow! such a strong emotional write, brings back memories of that day when such sadness filled the American people with sadness ;- Kennedy was a wonderful President I thought. I really like your words.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you so much, willow.
yes, a very tough day for the American people, indeed...life changing.
j.