In the Long Ago When of my teaching years,
a television was brought in
so the children could watch the procession
for Richard Nixon’s funeral.

They were elementary school kids
in underfunded areas of the Bronx
who would have been on top to know
that Clinton was in office at the time.

For them to have been aware of Nixon and Checkers
and Kennedy and Vietnam and Cambodia
and Watergate (great gods! Watergate!)
would have been astonishing.

But we gave them the experience
and we fielded their questions
and it got me out of some inexperienced
language arts lessons plans I had on the books.

The kids learned a little bit about bad presidents
and how the worst in their parents’ lifetime had gone down.
Perhaps they’d learn a little bit of “sic semper tyrannis,”
which might prove useful later in life.

I don’t know why I thought that might be of value.