Longing for Baseball

I have always had

this longing

to be one of the greats

in whatever I do

The Ted Williams

of my craft.

So I strived for

perfection

until I fell in love

with the world’s

greatest game.

You see,

in baseball

a .400 average

is a declaration

of excellency

meaning the batter

missed the ball

six out of ten tries.

So, perhaps perfection

is not what we

should strive for

but rather progress…

Because four hits

out of ten

is not only

good enough

but amazing

in baseball

and so it should be

the same for life.

Maybe life

does not imitate art

maybe life

imitates the game

for I often

compare the two.

Like no matter

how many times

the batter strikes out

he always gets

another chance at bat

and home plate.

How in the bottom

of the ninth inning

when hope seems lost

a turn of events

with bases loaded

a single hit

can change the outcome!

Such excitement

knowing anything can happen

at anytime

and how my heart

beats out of my chest

my fingers digging

into the seat of my chair

and my eyes

glued to the ball.

There’s a connection

between my heart

and the game…

for everytime

I hear a game on the radio

or watch a game

on television

or step foot

in a ballpark

I feel most like myself.

And all of these things…

the rapid, excited beating

of my heart

the longing for

opening day

in the harshness of winter

is how I knew

the game had me

firmly in its grasp.

It’s how I know

my heart belongs

to you.

For much like looking down

at baseball diamonds

from the bleachers,

my heart sees you

and whispers

“I’m home.”