ELEGY FOR THE TWO PEOPLE KILLED BY BOBBY KENNEDY’S FUNERAL TRAIN AT ELIZABETH STATION, NEW JERSEY by Glenn Robert Swetman Jerry Bruno said, “We found out a few minutes later that we’d hit five people, and we thought then that we must have killed them all, although, as it turned out, only two died and the others were injured,” Jerry said. “We first tried to get word to the press not to tell…” From then on Mr. Bruno was in complete control of the train’s speed. Plugged into the engineer’s radio he slowed and slowed and slowed while the crowds grew and old ladies crossed themselves and veterans saluted and children threw flowers and put coins in front of the tracks to be picked up as squashed souvenirs of the dead. Yes, because of those five, Jerry Bruno was in complete control and he showed Abe what a real good advance man can do. This poem is layered and layered. Jerry Bruno co-wrote a book entitled, “The Advance Man.” Here, the author lets politicians take over the operation of the train, now with its wheel being spun more carefully.
Posted on January 8th, 2010 by admin in Poetry
