Spring Training

[sd gross]

:baseball:
Spring Training
by sd gross

Ice crystals dance in the Wintermoon's glow
Light towers train a thousand dark eyes
on brittlebroom cornrows
where Scarecrows in the frozen fields
like ball fans long dead
have been waiting forever...
For... Spring Training!!
Pine tar and linament
the loud slap of new leather
chawing and spitting, snapping wise-cracking
picking and ragging, bitching and moaning
the curve balls and sliders, split-fingered fastballs
follow sinkers and scroogies
Rookie's eyes gleaming all hope and wonder
victorious, victimized the Show or the Bush?
the crisp hard crack
Mountain ash crushing leather
stinging frost bitten bleachers
baselines and chalklines catcalls, closecalls
badcalls crackerjacks crackers
Dusty slides cleats high like pig stickers
Twin kills, suicide squeezes
frozen ropes ablaze in the dead August air
chin music change-ups brush backs gophers
Padres and Angels sing hymns of victory sing
Redbirds, Bluejays pecking out singles
Baltimore Chops Long Balls Texas Leaguers
Tigers and Cubs clawing & scratching
Indians and Braves scalping & slicing
deposing Expos Sizing up Sox
Climbing the Rockies, shootouts with Rangers
While Mariners and Pirates go fishing for Marlins
and Giants climbing beanstalks
with their eyes on the stars