First pangs of passion for a girl
first twinge of trouble in my world
first view of fabric always tearing
and scabbing back on ancient seams
John F Kennedy shot dead
as we sat silent in our classroom
and Pope John the Twenty Third
a light for searching Catholic youth
dead before the sparks of hope
could light a warming fire
While out in California
Pat Brown’s housing legislation
is opposed by most state senators
and up and coming Ronald Reagan
Say what you will about smoke-filled rooms
Jesse Unruh strong-armed them
beat them all into submission
and passed the radical legislation
banning housing discrimination
For every healing mend a rend
Ah the greatest generation
and real estate associations
who pushed a state wide proposition
to kill the ban on discrimination
The voters passed it
two to one
and three years later
Brown was done
defeated by the hero
Ronald Reagan
So Cal Yankee 
Very enlightening for me since I was only three!
Thank you Em. I like taking these little history ramblings: I think they help me digest our present time.
The poem reads very nicely and tugs at my memories. 1963 was one of my more significant years.
Lee
Check out my interview with viral blogger Liza Long
Tossing It Out