DROWNING
(for David Kennedy)Earlier, in the frothing water
He had floundered, his thin
Muscles drained and spent.
His father—third born to the son fourth born—
Stroked out to him, saved him
In his strong paternal grip.
Later, on the frothing set,
He saw his father flounder from his crest,
Falling like a man drowning
In his own success. And he—
The fourth born son to the third born father—
Had no strength to swim
Through the airwaves to rescue
His rescuer/sire.
Ever after, his lips were his waterline.
Light for him was a trembling luminescence
In which people drifted refracted.
He spied them from within his sea
Of fear and confusion
And wondered. How can life
Go on? Don’t they see?
Don’t they know?
Finally, after suffering long
Against the current, feeling
Flotsam bump by, seeing time
As a piece of meaningless scenery,
He went under. Now, he could
Swim with his father
Those long, sure crawls.
April 1984—revised June 2010
David Kennedy died while I lived on the bay, which influenced my choice of metaphor--drowning for the emotional confusion and despair that seemed to overwhelm the boy after he saw his father assassinated on television.
Robert Kennedy, and the Kennedy family in general, remain as both tragic and inspirational figures of our America. Three books about Robert Kennedy have been published in the 21st century:
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