by Susanna Rich
Numbers on our chests,
numbers on our backs,
numbers on
the wall.
I stand and stand here
waiting for my
number to be called.
What does it matter?
The ball hits
the mitt—
and I know
I’m here.
The bat
hits the ball—
I belong.
I belong.
It’s the ball—crazy,
crazy comet—
that lets me
know:
I’m here.
I have
a name.
I count.
I’m here.
I have a name.
I count.
I count.
Susanna wrote and narrated this poem for the documentary “Cobb Field: A Day at the Ballpark,” for which she was nominated for an Emmy. The film can frequently be seen on the MLB Network. Susanna has been published numerous times in Spitball and reads frequently at the Yoga Berra Museum at Montclair State University in New Jersey.