November 22, 1963
I
remember the very moment
as
if it were branded on my soul:
It
was 2:05 pm.
We
were in Brother O’Connor’s 10th grade
religion class,
religion class,
St.
Joseph High School in Cleveland,
eager for the end of the day.
eager for the end of the day.
A
crying voice came over the PA
saying,
Please Pray for Him, Boys,
He’s
Been Shot!
For
30 minutes there was stunned,
uncomprehending
silence,
punctuated
by confused attempts to pray;
but
all our prayers were incoherent,
crazed
dancing of a chicken, its head cut off.
At
2:35 Brother Matthew’s quavering voice
said,
He’s Dead, Boys. Let’s Pray
For
Him And For Ourselves
pray
that love and light
overcome
the furious violence
and
darkness
in
our souls.
Robert
M. Coughlin/November
22, 1983
This poem, written 30 years ago, reflects quite accurately my experience of Friday, November 22, 1963. Of course memory is very fallible, and a few details might be wrong. I'm not 100% sure that it was St. Joe's principal. Brother Stanley Mathews who spoke on the PA that day. But I do remember being in Brother O'Connor's religion class, last period of the day. And I remember how stunned, saddened, and disoriented we all were. Notice how the last part of the poem indicts not only the murderer, but all of us--all with "the furious violence / and darkness/ in our souls." All of us.
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