by Raphael Badagliacca
Baseball is a dance
That steps through time
Beginning in this hallowed place,
These Elysian Fields
Named for that storied
Space where sister muses,
Numbering nine, inspired
Every kind of play.
They danced the dance
That set the stage
With symmetry and elegance
With beauty and grace
Handing down from page to page
The moment when the pitcher winds
The moment when the batter hits the ball
The moment when the runner rounds the base
Stepping from decade to decade
Freeing us to measure time
In outs and innings
Bringing home an ageless diamond.
Our friend Raphael writes:
“Bardball friends:
“I am the baseball historian for an event next weekend: a ballet performance scheduled for June 27 celebrating the first “base ball” game which took place in Hoboken, NJ on a stretch of land called ‘The Elysian Fields.’
“I’m calling the performance BaseBallet.
“It will be an open air performance on a field in nearby Jersey City, NJ. There will be four dances which I call first base, second base, third base and home. As baseball historian, I will read four narratives and original poetry. Music: Bach, Beethoven, Take Me Out to the Ballgame, and John Fogerty’s ‘Centerfield’.”