Ballgame

by Wayne F. Burke

The baseball got wet in morning
dew
and became slimy
and hard to throw
and if the ball got lost in the high grass
of the pasture behind the backstop, among
the snakes and cow flops, everyone
had to look for it — or else.
Old bats worn and cracked burned
our hands if the ball hit on the trademark.
Our games were fierce and
often bloody —
we played to win because
some of us liked winning
and because some of us needed to win
more than some others did.