by Ellen Adair
With apologies to Gerard Manley Hopkins and his “Pied Beauty”
Glory be to God for Aaron Nola!
For changeups of couple-color, diving from the zone;
For hosts of swinging strikes on tunneled pitches;
Fresh-curveballs swooping like a rainbow’s gold; a
Landscape plotted for a dotted fastball, blown
By even Ronald Acuña. That’s Aaron Nola, bitches.
Ellen Adair is an actor, with recurring roles on shows like “The Sinner,” “Homeland,” and “Bull,” and is also a contributing analyst to the MLB Network show “Off Base.” Their book of poetry, Curtain Speech, is available from Pen & Anvil Press. They also host the podcasts “Take Me In to the Ballgame,” and “Love Takes Action,” and draw baseball players by commission.
(Editor Error! This was first submitted Sept. 25, 2020. Apologies to the writer.)