and you're watching TV a speech thing on TV and sitting on a brown 
pleather recliner and it's only black and white TV but a really 
comfortable recliner and it's about Bobby Kennedy who's got a name 
Bobby much cooler than your stupid name and Rosie Grier is there 
and his name is lilke your mother's friend's name but he plays football 
and he's important and you never got to sit in a recliner before and 
it opens up and then someone on TV says Bobby Kennedy has been shot Bobby 
Kennedy has been shot and he's supposed to be bleeding and dead and you're 
afraid to move and no one is changing the channel there's no Daniel Boone 
no Annette to imitate on Mickey Club no Rob tripping over the footstool 
no Laura no Chicken & Stars it keeps being this speech place and Bobby 
Kennedy has been shot there and he's bleeding on a floor and you're 
afraid to move from the recliner and people are running around death 
it's 1968. 
 
 

Previously published in Long Island Quarterly, 2000,  Frank Van Zant