my boy
will not get
a game ball
it is a foregone conclusion
you can see the truth
of my assumption
in the glittering eyes
of the kid-with-the-big unit-windup
and the griffey jr. stance’s
mom as she
asks me, quite disinterested
offhand
fully focused on my lack
of success in nurturing a young
monolith
whether i think patrick
will take the field today, and
just how is he feeling?
or will he
(the question behind
the question)
just stay in the dugout
and hope they let him bat
because he’s too smart
and distracted
to hate the coaches
for their scorn
by being relegated to right field
endlessly
or having to sit out the first inning
again
with the only girl on the team
because first base
needs to catch them throws
and short stop needs
to throw them catches
and right field has more bugs
and bees
and cool pebbles
anyhow.
