Base.ball in Americas
The Moon Strikes the Ranger Out
Chapter 1
Mesmerized and justified
by her cycloptic stare
The Ranger (on his way to kingdom kome)
struck out swinging
against the Moon
It’s auright, kid
even the best of hitters
only succeeds
three times
out of
ten
Part 5/2 in the Continuing Saga
Known as:
The Adventures of joe g biv
chapter 2
Rolling by oceans of corn
on clouds made of steel
joe g biv rides up
and into Florence, Illinois
After a dissertation
delivered in a drawl
distorted by
1,239,561 Winstons
that recounts the history
of the 80 year-old
ferry-replacing
brown draw bridge
that statuely stands
above her local saloon
Bartender and
great-grandmother Salley
informs joe g biv
of the hiatus, of
the days and nights
of 5 years time
owned by the ballfield
out back
‘Bout all we do back there now
is have some cancer fundraisers,
you know for the victims,
and drive them mini-buzzes
The what?
You know, honey
they’re like Nascars
only small
Home Depot
chapter 3
Standing in the sprawl of Americas
like a box of beardless Yankees
Home Depot
is the despot
that rules
with a hollow concrete fist
over
the homes
of 1001 dead hardware stores
Toothbrush
chapter 4
On a mission
to find a toothbrush
in the down time
found between two 4-game series
joe g biv encountered only one
waiting
like a cardboard cocoon
that won’t open until kissed
in the one-dollar aisle
of the ghetto grocery
It came free
as the indentured servant
to a one dollar tube of
super regular flavored toothpaste
A Robot of Steroids
chapter 5
It would take a robot on steroids
to hit a ball over the Mississippi River
and past the conveyor belt boxcars
tagged with graffiti
that shines
in the shadows of the sun
like metallic planets
searching for their orbits
On Trying to Make a New Orleans Wedding
From Northern Tennessee
In Five Days Time
Or
How joe g biv Learned to
Remember the Night
chapter 6
Son,
you’re about a day late
and an engine short
‘Bout all you have going for you
is the summer solstice
and the full moon
Those were the kind of odds
that joe g biv liked
Hell,
an inning can go on forever
if you keep on batting around
Headless Turkey Vultures
Or
The Procession of Time
chapter 7
Headless turkey vultures
circle low
over
the age
of gasoline powered engines
What will sprout
from its smoldering
fecund remains
nobody knows
But some fat lady,
she is surely about to start singing
A Haiku for Lao-Tzu
chapter 8
in the mowed prairie
like an uncarved baseball bat
stands the dead ash tree
MONKEY:
chapter 9
bat (stick)ball (rock)
catch (consume)throw (create)
swing (miss)take (wait)
swing (hit)and play your fate
hit (kill)field (heal)
run (flow)along your path
hit (help)slide (fun)
home (home)safe (safe)