john john saluted
in his little coat and shoes
as the horses walked sedately
I had measles and watched
as black and white images
played over and over
my friend from school
cried all day
big brother drafted
never coming home
I watched the news
as images of kill ratio
played over and over
older and wiser
or at least so I thought
cried like a baby
when John Lennon shot
into the atmosphere
giving peace a chance
wasn’t someone’s cup of tea
and the radio played it
over and over
like the challenger later
headed for the stars
and made it to heaven
before our very eyes
in technicolor repeated
over and over
and all I could think was
how it would be to lose a
loved one over and over
until nine eleven
when the worst of the worst
the unthinkable
was thought by someone and
thought became deed
and we realized we
were not invulnerable
and even then in
our arrogance we fought
about what kind of tribute
to erect to the fallen
over and over
you would think we would
learn but the lessons keep coming
and the wheel keeps turning
but over and over
we grieve and
don’t change

NaPoMo 19 2012 Poetic Asides prompt: life event