Friday, May 30, 2008

Poetry Friday - A Poem by J. Patrick Lewis

What do you do when an outstanding poet knocks on your (virtual) door? Why you open it and welcome the poet in, of course! That's just what I'm doing today.

J. Patrick Lewis (I think I can call him Pat now!) sent me a new poem and asked if I would like to share it on my blog. How could I say no? I'm throwing the doors of my virtual home wide open and asking him to make himself at home. Heck, you can all come over and join us. So, without further ado, here's an original. Thanks so much to Pat for letting me share it.
A Baseball Poem
by J. Patrick Lewis

A baseball poem
should swerve
like a sidearm curve

or tease a designated reader
with sublime
off-rhyme.

A baseball poem
should be as unexpected, say,
as an undetected
squeeze play

or explode like a six-run
bonanza and a grand slam
into the leftfield stanza.
Now that your mind is firmly on the diamond, why not check out this list of baseball books I posted last year? Alas, Kadir Nelson's book We Are the Ship hadn't been published yet, so it isn't on the list.

Today's round up is being hosted by Elaine at Wild Rose Reader. Do stop by and enjoy all the great poetry being shared this week. Happy poetry Friday, all!

9 comments:

  1. This one's great to read out loud---I found myself wanting to stand up in my seat and YELL at the end!

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  2. I'm not as big a baseball fan as I could be, but this poem has such carefully and perfectly chosen words that it makes me imagine all of the action. Very cool that poets now seek YOU out!

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  3. A thousand thanks, Tricia, for opening your door to my little baseball poem.

    Cheers,
    Pat

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  4. I love Tadmack's comment: "I'm not as big a baseball fan as I could be"--that pretty much sums it up for me too :)

    But I loved this poem! Thanks for sharing Tricia and pat. I'm standing up and yelling with Sara now.

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  5. correction: Tricia and Pat...

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  6. After having just read LSP's Keeping Score, this poem is just perfect! Choice of words is so amazing. Yay baseball!

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  7. Oh you are lucky to be graced with such a poem! And lucky us, to share it today!

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  8. Great poem! I am a baseball fan by proxy only -- my husband has given me an appreciation for it that I would never have had on my own. (I've even been in Yankee stadium while my husband, alas, has not -- and now, never will be ... well, not in the old one, anyway.)

    At any rate, a great baseball poem!

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  9. Lucky you! Thanks for sharing! (That's a thanks for both Pat and Tricia!)

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