Lurking in the shadows

of ephemeral alleyways ,

a cipher ,a chimera flitting

between disillusion and disappointments ;

Nondescript , commonplace ,19 years old ,

a refugee fleeing from the earlier

failure to bestow a kiss of death on his intended ;

Along the route ,

bustling streets and boisterous thoroughfares gaily bedecked

with flowers and flags welcome the Royal motorcade ,

resplendent in their plumed cocked hats ,epaulettes and braid ;

A time , a chance , a kairos moment

that was lost re-emerges to be

re-taken ,ventured anew

grasped with both trembling hands and

a desperate heart ,its consequences unforeseen ;

The smashing of Stephen’s Crown ,the fall

of Angels ,the ruination of Eagles amid

infernoes yet to be stoked ,yet to be lit ;

A nondescript commonplace 19 year old

hefts the pistol ,a Browning .380 Model 1910 ;

He is standing some five feet away from

the reversing now stalled motor car ,

He is facing Ferdinand and the beloved Sophie ;

then the shots ring out ,

forever.

( Footnote : On June 28,1914 ,19 year old Gavrilo Princip,a Serbian nationalist fanatic
shot and killed the heir to the Austrian Throne,Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie.)