10 Ways of Looking at a Baseball

I.

Wishing to be the moon,

spiraling towards a

dark and resting expanse,

only falls when it reaches the

starlit sky.

II.

Sitting on the dirt mound, forgotten,

the sun makes the skin of the baseball

dry with the heat of a summer day.

Too long it’s been waiting.

III.

White turned yellow by the

greedy gripping of children’s hands,

the red twine of the baseball finally

unravels.

IV.

Snow falls softly,

and in the midst of it,

all you can see is the red lines

of the baseball.

V.

Crowds cheer with support

as the boy’s toes curl,

his hand lets go of the baseball,

and all you can see is a white blur

as it flies to meet its mark.

VI.

She grips it in her ever-growing hands,

wanting for the game

that she is told is for boys.

As she holds it,

the baseball comforts her crying eyes.

VII.

It hides among the green,

too high for any to reach it.

They’ve lost the baseball

for the fourth time this week.

VIII.

Lying on a bedroom shelf,

the baseball is left as a final salute

to the days when it was their everything.

IX.

The dirt slowly coats the baseball

as it rests in the dirt

and the owner walks away,

never to see the small orb again.

X.

The baseball seems to shine

through the store window

as the young girl presses her hand against the glass,

wanting for nothing more.