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in Flushing Meadows
was in the third month
of its second year
of existence
Immediately after lunch,
all of its students
were gathered in
the school gymnasium
for a pep rally
It was a Friday
and that night
our basketball team
was playing
its first inter-scholastic game
It was against Archbishop Molloy,
another Diocesan school
Everyone cheered maddeningly
as the players were introduced
Being loud and crazy
—under those circumstances—
was not discouraged
The Vice-Principal
was the moderator
but, after an hour,
the Principal
—Brother Cyr—
walked in somberly,
whispered something
to the moderator
Then all the students,
obediently and unquestioningly,
returned to their classrooms
But we were still obsessed
with our basketball team
our homeroom teacher,
had written
on the chalkboard:
KENNEDY- 1963
LINCOLN-1865
I thought that was
one hell of a
basketball score
Seconds later,
The Principal was on
the intercom
announcing the assassination
of President Kennedy
We were then dismissed
from school, one hour
prematurely
But oddly enough,
the basketball game
was not cancelled
We lost the game
to Archbishop Molloy
but we lost
so much more than that
on November 22, 1963
•••
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