Minnie, you collide
with Roberto Clemente
when I try to summon up
the greatest ballplayer I ever saw
I'm not talking about reputations
but what you did day in day out
was so much more than anyone had a right to expect
that no one except Bill Veeck
ever really understood it
You busted your ass every minute, like your heroic namesake
although I'm not too sure about that
since unfortunately I remember my Greek mythology
less well than I remember you
If you'd have been a white Protestant from
Maryland, you'd have been in movies and the Hall of Fame
and today instead of an obscure coach
you'd be a celebrity
drinking coffee on television
and flashing us your famous smile
in ads for athletes foot
Maybe it's better this way
Fan Poems - North Atlantic Books
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