PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

I never rely on heat

I’m more of a finesse pitcher;

perplex them with curveballs

and screwballs

and a sinker

that drops faster

than the freefall ride

at Great Adventure

I keep ‘em guessing

and figure that

I’m okay

as long as they don’t

figure out my fastball

isn’t worth a shit

I rely on guile

and the ability

to keep my foes

off balance and unable

to concentrate

on the incoming pitch

They’ll accuse me

of throwing a spitter

but they never find

any Vaseline on my cap

and I’m okay

as long as they

keep grounding into double plays

and popping up to shortstop

It goes to show

that sometimes

having a brain

can be a good thing

It just might get you

through a few jams

and wriggle your way out

of those annoying

bases loaded

with nobody out

in the top of the eighth

kinds of situations

1-18-98