that no left hander would
ever play catcher for him.
I just shrugged my shoulders
and walked back to sit
with the rest of the parents—
2 games in and 17 passed
balls later, he finally let
Cole put the gear on.
We were on our 4th pitcher.
My wife glanced at me
when she heard the click
of the pitch counter.
We were run-ruled in 4 innings.
I waited till everyone had left.
I showed the coach the counter.
It read 28, the number of pitches
in the dirt that game.
I made a O with my fingers and
told him that was how many went
to the backstop. I had a 12 year old
left hander with a fat lip, 2 deep
bruises, and a missing fingernail—
laughing at his dirty face
in the truck mirror.
Adam Jameson was born and raised in Southeast Kansas. He is a 1995 graduate of Pittsburg State University. He currently works for Westar Energy. He has been reading and performing with White Buffalo for the past 25 years. The Little Balkans Press has recently published his first book of Poetry, #9 to Sallisaw. He lives in rural Pittsburg with his wife Meredith and son Cole.
Al Ortolani’s poetry and reviews have appeared in journals such as Prairie Schooner, New Letters, Word Riot, and the New York Quarterly. His fifth collection of poems, Waving Mustard in Surrender, was released in 2014 from New York Quarterly Books. Currently, he is teaching English in the Blue Valley School District and serves on the Board of Directors of the Kansas City Writers Place.
I love this poem. You sure capture the essence of kid baseball. I also grew up in southeast Kansas. That’s another unique experience.
Thank you. I appreciate the kind words. Southeast Kansas has its own charm.
Thank you. Kids baseball, or rather the parents, are interesting. Growing up and living here is a unique experience. The things i like about SEK outweigh the things I don’t so I’m still here.