the sunny side of the ball
like a new moon setting in the west,
like the hopes of a generation
to be more than the best,
like a W in the column,
like a slide under a tag
and the fresh air, blue sky
and the one moment when the mind
stands still and the body reacts,
the ball slaps, the hand closes
and the nines have come full round,
like a raw, red knee,
i am alive today.
1989
Copyright James Phoenix 2017
updated 5/7/2017