The Day Kennedy Died

[Caliode]

For all I know you are long ago dead
And, yet, we shared moments this day
That fifty years on fill my heart with tenderness.
We were having a meal and you saw a paper
And you said- "something's happened".
Outside on the street, crowds were grabbing
Newspapers, pushing other people over
In their madness to read what had happened.
We kissed on the platform.
I turned away not to see you go.
On the journey home I listened
To the talk about America.

[Caliode]

It is 4.30 pm in London a Friday, yes
It is 1963 and I am hurrying to the cinema,
To see The Servant by Joseph Losey.
And I meet my girlfriend Dawn outside,
And we go inside and hold hands,
While watching the film.

When we leave we walk to
Old Compton Street for a meal
And while we are drinking our wine
Dawn says "there's something wrong",
Everyone is talking all at once
And a waiter is crying.
No one is eating.
Everyone is reading a newspaper.

"The President is dead",says someone
And I stare at him.
We walk outside to the tube station
A crowd has knocked over
A Newspaper-seller.

I say good bye to Dawn as she catches her train,
We kiss in public for the first time
And I am sweating a lot and thinking
Of America and of how brave Kennedy spoke
As I catch my train to go home
And I feel as though I have almost stopped breathing.


After O 'Hara