April is poetry month, so...
(Meant to be) Middle of the Month Extra: Baseball poetry... .Substacks I like...How to plan for more Z Words per month...
This is one of the first poems I wrote (and rewrote) about baseball, at the end of the 2014 season.
Hope Diamond At The K
Dirt diamond, surrounded by endless green,
small white sewn leather spheres
caught by flying rope-muscled men.
Like movie ninjas, they slide on grass. They run up walls,
pixelated by marquee light in the darkness.
This is hope: how with every swing of the bat
my breath halts, heart stops as I listen for that mightiest of cracks...
Because oh what joy if...
But mostly I breathe again, expelling sighs, like everyone around me.
Next at bat. Next inning. Next year.
Baseball’s Sad Lexicon by Franklin Pierce Adams, 1910, as recited by Richard Brundage.
It’s a poem about a double play, a game between the Giants and the Cubs, from the point of view of a Giants fan, New York writer, Franklin Pierce Adams. Tinker is the shortstop. He and Evers (2nd base) and Chance (1st base) were like double play wizards, helping the Cubs win the National League (4 times) and World Series (2 times - 1907 & 1908) in the years 1906 - 1910.
Words of love for my two favorite non-baseball related Substacks:
They both inspire me. In different ways.
The Panicked Creative
The Panicked Creative is the work of Tina Neidlein. She’s funny and sometimes snarky. She writes about writing and often provides something to laugh about, which can be the highlight of my day.
Everything Is Personal
Everything is Personal is Laurie Stone’s Substack. She writes prose that presses my story button. I sometimes feel socked in the gut reading her work. In a good way.
Writing process:
My writing process: I’m aiming for sending Z Words out once a week ultimately.
And I’m trying to do the hardest thing of all: PLANNING.
I’m usually what the NaNoWriMo community calls a “Pantser.”
Someone who jumps in and just starts writing.
I know that Planning is not my strength. I tend to worry and think “What if I don’t make it? What if I want to change it? What if changing it f***s up all that planning I’ve done?”
Regarding more Z Words: There will always be a subject line so feel free to snooze it, or ignore entirely if you think you won’t like it.
Also, this month I started meditating for 5 minutes every day. It’s first thing in the morning before even feeding the cats. These cats. Do you see them staring at me, daring me to work?
If I wake up too late, they’re hungrier than ever. Too much distraction! But who can resist these kitties?
You know I meant to send this out a week ago. Thank you for your patience!
The past couple of weeks have been hectic, what with taxes and having to renew my driver’s license.
And things with Oscar. He’s going to move to a different apartment. Stay tuned!
Loved your poetry!
Let's do it!