It looks easy from a distance,
easy and lazy, even,
until you stand up to the plate
and see the fastball sailing inside,
an inch from your chin,
or circle in the outfield
straining to bet a bead
on a small black dot
a city block or more high,
in a dark star that could fall
on your head like a leaden meteor.
The grass, the dirt, the deadly hops
between your feet and the overeager clove:
football can be learned,
and basketball finessed, but
there is no hiding from baseball
the fact that some are chosen
and some are not--those whose mitts
feel too left-handed,
who are scared at third base
of the pulled line drive,
and at first base are scared
of the shortstop's wild throw
that stretches you like a gutted deer.
There is nowhere to hide when the ball's
spotlight swivels your way,
and the chatter around you falls still,
and the mothers on the sidelines,
your own among them, hold their breaths,
and you whiff on a terrible pitch
or in the infield achieve
something with the ball so
ridiculous you blush for years.
It's easy to do. Baseball was
invented in America, where beneath
the good cheer and the sly jazz the chance
of failure is everybody's right,
beginning with baseball.
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The prose-poem above, titled "Baseball," was written by John Updike [1932 - 2009]. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. SBE, 5/11/15
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The above email combines two of Stephens's loves: poetry and baseball.
Jason
Jason Espie
5th January 2017
