tastebytaste
Glory by Yusef Komunyakaa Most were married teenagersWorking knockout shifts daybreakTo sunset six days a week—Already old men playing ballIn a field between a row of shotgun houses& the Magazine Lumber Company.They were all Jackie Robinson& Willie Mays, a touch ofJosh Gibson & Satchell Paige1 In each stance & swing, a promiseLike a hesitation pitch alwaysAt the edge of their lives,Arms sharp as rifles. Yusef Komunyakaa (born 1947)The Sunday afternoon heatFlared like thin flowered skirtsAs children & wives cheered.The men were like catsRunning backwards to snagPop-ups & high-flies offFences, stealing each other’s glory.The old deacons and raconteurs2 Who umpired made an Out or SafeInto a song & dance routine.Runners hit the dirt& slid into homeplate,Cleats catching light,As they conjured escapes, outfoxingDouble plays. In the few secondsIt took a man to eye a womanUpon the makeshift bleachers,A stolen base or homerunWould help another manSurvive the new week. 1 Jackie Robinson/& Willie Mays …/Josh Gibson & Satchell Paige: African-American baseball stars of the 1920s through the 1970s.2 deacons & raconteurs: deacons are assistant officers of a church, and raconteurs are skilled storytellers.stance (noun): the way one stands, especially the placement of the feetconjured (verb): performed tricks in which things seem to appear, disappear, or change as if by magic
