Looking down from somewhere up in the sky.
Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider stand by.
Below, Bronx Bombers, all in their pinstripes,
come out swinging their bats, taking their swipes.
Dem Bums have Shohei Ohtani and Betts.
Get ready, this is as good as it gets.
"Play ball", says the ump, to a lightning flash.
Big bats heard o'er the land, a thunder crash.
It starts raining as, out of the park, it flies.
Is it Mantle or Snider who cries?
I needed some storage space so I checked out
The floor underneath the kids’ bed.
It’s a very old bunk but instead of some room,
This is what I encountered instead:
A bag filled with newspapers, all from the date
That announced Mickey Mantle had died;
A plastic container too heavy to lift,
With baseball cards (hundreds!) inside.
From Sesame Street, a stuffed Grover and Bert,
Miss Piggy and Oscar the Grouch,
A Madeline doll and a Raggedy Ann.
(But I swear nothing’s under the couch!)
Several board games and one more big box which contained
Baseballs, batting gloves and souvenirs;
Magazines, ID cards and some photos on which
Someone’s autograph somehow appears.
I moved everything out, tossed some stuff in the trash
But my kids are now in for a treat,
For I’m taking it all to their houses to make
The space under their beds more complete!
I Was A Mad Old Racing Cougar In Fullest Flight
When the seething sun chased me into the night.
I was a mad old racing cougar in fullest flight.
I ran across the land, raced toward the moon
Into the arms of Indian maiden as she swoon
Bright night it was with a jubilant golden moon
Her radio playing all my favorite tunes.
When the seething sun chased me into the night.
I was a mad old racing cougar in fullest flight.
I left her village running into the big ole city
A very sad old fool chasing gold, what a sad pity
True, I was a rough hombre and even a bit gritty
A friend I was of Mickey Mantle and Walter Mitty.
When the seething sun chased me into the night.
I was a mad old racing cougar in fullest flight.
Robert J. Lindley, Nov. 11th 1974
Rhyme
Baseball cards and hula hoops
Baloney sandwich, Campbell’s soup
Howdy Doody and Mickey Mouse
Mamie and Ike in the White House
American Bandstand, Rock 'n Roll
Elvis the Pelvis, Nat King Cole
Pez Dispensers and Kool-Aid
Bedtime for Bonzo, Panty Raids
Oscar Mayer’s Wienermobile
Superman was the ‘Man of Steel’
Archie & Veronica, Mad Magazine
Skirts and Bobby-Sox, Jukebox Scenes
The Roadrunner, Tom and Jerry
Durward Kirby and a Moore named Gary
The Price is Right, Let’s Make a Deal
Hostess Twinkies – b & w newsreels
A Dog named Lassie and Rin Tin Tin
Yankees and Celtics always win
Mickey Mantle, Ernie Banks
Whitey Ford, Hammerin' Hank
Joe McCarthy and the Red Scare
Semi-Crewcuts or Slicked-back hair
The 1950’s weren’t built to last
Still and all ~ quite a cast!
My full name is Mickey Charles Mantle
Adored by baseball fans, left the records in shambles
Born in Tupelo, Miss
A real phenom I is
Always wanted to be a ballet dancer till I broke my ankle
I can still remember the day,
And it wasn't that long ago.
Where we sought some inspiration,
From those we might call, our hero.
Their stories were often fed to us,
Like mothers feed newborn.
Nurturing body, mind, and soul,
Allowing dreams flight,
With an elusive unicorn.
As the pages of time have turned,
New characters are now in view.
Where former masks have lost favor,
And novel contemporaries are the few.
Since my illusions of Mickey Mantle & 007,
Are now the dust of faded memory,
Our progeny will have new hero's,
Web-surfing champions . . .
Without artillery.
all of the
young ladies cried
nor
they
are surprise
of all the
handsome
young guys
wearing
their
baseball uniforms
at
Yankee Stadium
with
their
baby blue
Mickey Mantle eyes
Do they play baseball in heaven.
Wonder if you know if they play baseball in heaven?
Think they have a baseball field in the clouds?
Does guys like Mickey mantle and Frank Robins on.
Does the great Babe Ruth hit home runs?
Are there teams like the Yankees or the braves up there.
I know God must have a team he likes.
I want to find out if they are the angels.
Do you think that I will be able to play with the cool ones?
I know they must have a hall of fame with guys like Joe and Stan
The sport of ball games is many each summer and each fall.
Within the Major leagues, and the Minors are many whines.
The events that are pitted causes Peewees to bawl.
Excuses like pines and whines, and levying of fines.
Steroidal abuse accusations prevalent are profuse!
Is pretty lady a man, is the handsome man a woman?
Like in cases of people’s races, gander chases goose.
Is the ball player true or a steroid phenomenon.
Albeit I accept the fate entering stadium gate.
Was the coupling consensual or change conventional?
Excitement permeates ball field as contentions dissipate.
I believe in ball games, rising to fame consensual.
Mickey Mantle at bat, an all time world ‘Switch hitter!
Willie Mays ’The say kid Mays’ blessed his days by his phase.
“Mighty Casey at Bat” illustrates proper glitter,
as time switches mantle phase of Mickey and Say kid Mays!
For and in Honor of Debbie Guzzi
And Contest: Play Ball
On our black and white TV,
we sat engrossed, Chris and me.
He was six and I was three,
the Yanks were on a winning spree.
Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays,
Whitey Ford, those were the days,
Vida Blue(he pitched sideways)-
their skill and strength left us amazed.
Every strike, each RBI
was earned and honestly come by.
No steroids used to fortify,
these guys were heroes in our eyes.
Somewhere, baseball lost its way,
it's more like work and less like play.
Games were hard-won in my day,
and each pitch was its own ballet.
©Danielle White
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.