ALL THOSE SHIPS THAT NEVER SAILED

All those ships that never sailed
The ones with their seacocks open
That were scuttled in their stalls …
Today I bring them back
Huge and transitory
And let them sail
Forever.

All those flowers that you never grew—
that you wanted to grow
The ones that were plowed under
ground in the mud—
Today I bring them back
And let you grow them
Forever.

All those wars and truces
Dancing down these years—
All in three flag swept days
Rejected meaning of God—

My body once covered with beauty
Is now a museum of betrayal.
This part remembered because of that one’s touch
This part remembered for that one’s kiss—
Today I bring it back
And let you live forever.

I breath a breathless I love you
And move you
Forever.

Remove the snake from Moses’ arm …
And someday the Jewish queen will dance
Down the street with the dogs
And make every Jew
Her lover.

  — Bob Kaufman (1925 - 1986), Beat poet.

After learning of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Kaufman took a Buddhist vow of silence. He withdrew from society and did not speak again until 1975, on the day the Vietnam War ended, when he walked into a coffee shop and recited this poem.

Clinton explains RFK assassination reference

BRANDON, South Dakota (CNN) — Sen. Hillary Clinton said Friday that she regretted comments that evoked the June 1968 assassination of Robert Kennedy as part of her explanation for why she was staying in the presidential race late into the primary season.

Earlier Friday afternoon, she told the editorial board of the Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Argus Leader that “My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don’t understand it,” she said.

Clinton complained that “people have been trying to push me out of this ever since Iowa” and said that position “historically … makes no sense.”

Later at an event in Brandon, South Dakota, she said, “Earlier today, I was discussing the Democratic primary history and in the course of that discussion mentioned the campaigns that both my husband and Sen. Kennedy waged in California in June in 1992 and 1968, and I was referencing those to make the point that we have had nominating primary contests that go into June. That’s an historic fact.”

Senator Clinton —

One of the reasons why earlier nominations weren’t wrapped up until June is because many of the larger states (like California) didn’t hold their primaries until June … but that changed this year with about half of the states holding their primaries on Super Tuesday back in February.

When you have large states holding off until the end of the primary season to cast their ballots, it’s definitely possible that the nomination won’t be wrapped up until later in the year. But this year, it essentially became mathematically impossible for you to get the nomination several weeks ago.

This is one of the reasons why people have been pushing for you to drop out of the race … Obama has the momentum and has had for a long time. You are a powerful woman, and would make a formidable Senate Majority leader, but despite winning as many votes and delegates as you have, you are far too divisive to truly be successful in the general election against John McCain.

It’s time to bow out … gracefully. There is a place for you in government, but not in the White House.

Please, Hillary … for the sake of the Party, please bow out.

  — justin.barrett