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Critical Analysis #1
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patchoulipumpkin
Member
since 2000-01-01
Posts 196
Bermuda

0 posted 2000-02-29 12:02 PM


The paint is broken up now
No longer sharp lines,
Stroked in white
As the wall remembered it

Balls beat it senseless
KO
After KO
All from the arm of a future
Baseball
Hall of famer
Faced up against
A future home run leader

The pitcher threw as if he were surrounded
By thousands
Cheering
“Put it in the box”

The batter didn’t see
What the pitcher saw
The square outline
An imaginary hoop
He jumped through
For a strike

The batter only felt it
The void behind him
An open wound
He had to protect
With a swing

Bang, Bang, Pop
The tennis ball
Was beaten against
The wall
Until it died
And we could find a new one

Today
The lines are still alive
Vaguely visible
Behind Time
And its many acts of Heroism

If spoken to
They will reveal
Full count bottom of the ninth
Bases loaded
Down by one run
Scenarios

And the descriptions of balls
Flying off
In front of the sun
Lost temporarily
Before they are seen again
Landing on the tops of cars

And while the lines look
Eroded
Weathered
Scuffed up
And stained by graffiti
A voice screams
“Strike two you moron”
And I realize their magic
Their secrets
Are not as far away
As the paint suggests



[This message has been edited by patchoulipumpkin (edited 02-29-2000).]

© Copyright 2000 patchoulipumpkin - All Rights Reserved
jbouder
Member Elite
since 1999-09-18
Posts 2534
Whole Sort Of Genl Mish Mash
1 posted 2000-02-29 06:20 AM


Marc:

This is very good.  If I didn't know better I would be thinking that you grew up in my neighborhood.  I recently moved back to my home town and noticed that my old baseball lot is fenced in and barb-wired.  It's amazing so much can change in 20 years.

Your poem took me back to common experiences that I hadn't thought about in years.  I suppose that is the purpose of poems like this one.  I must say that this one served its purpose well.  Small typo on "Strike" in the last stanza, btw.  Nice work.

Jim

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