Shortest Player, Tallest Kid
By Jim Kelly
Seven year old, grandson Matthew, littlest kid on the team, is playing second base. An opposing player, on first, badgers the pitcher to distraction. Crack! The ball announces its arrival in the catcher's mitt.
"He's goin'," fans shout in alarm, as the runner streaks for second. A bullet throw from home meets Mattie's glove at the runner's cleats.
"Out!," roars the ump, flicking his thumb skyward.
The crowd leaps to its feet in jubilation.
On his knees at the bag, eye to eye with the ump, Matthew blurts out, "He's safe, I dropped the ball."
Pride wells up inside me, like the tears my eyes struggle to surpress. Little Matt, shortest player on the field, always will be the tallest kid in my heart.
Other great stuff from Jim...
Traffic Signals
Above the din of snickering tires,
Lights rehearse assignments--
Offering suggestions,
Measuring restraint.
Green reports
To pacify impatience;
Horns bark like hounds
Straining on leashes.
Yellow bears the weight
Of indecision,
When conscience stops
To wrestle with itself.
Red returns
In shades of indignation,
Tinting lame excuses
As they pass.
Night inhales the glow
Of repetition,
Unconcerned
That no one seems to care.
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A peach pit,
Pocked and whiskered,
Lies near the base
Of a parking meter.
Ants congregate,
Mill about--
Consumed with urgency
Of assignment.
Like miniature slaves
Tethered to fate,
They tussle
With the moment.
Time honors no boundaries
In the turmoil underfoot.
Click, a red flag pops up
And wags its tongue.
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Teabag
Ashen-faced,
Tethered to rules and metaphors
Limp at your side,
You sink in self-indulgence.
Steeped in pleasantries,
You weep for others' sins;
Cling to unused words
When conversation falters.
Rumpled, rejected,
Released from pleasure's grip,
Your heart lies purged
Of yesterday's importance.
James O. Kelly |
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Jim Kelly was born and raised in Curwensville, a small town in central Pennsylvania. In 1998, he and his wife, Janice, retired to Englewood, Florida to be with their grandchildren. Shortly thereafter, Jim joined the Suncoast Writers Guild and became an active volunteer. In Englewood Elementary School, teaching free form verse. For his work with elementary students, Jim has earned Special Projects Awards from Sarasota County. He recently joined the FWA, Sarasota writers' group. "The Place" is Jim's first book of poetry. Another book is being prepared for publishing in the near future. |
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Visit his website: www.jamesokelly.com |
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