Tim Peeler - "Nobody Ever Stole"

like Lou Brock;
say what you will about your Henderson,
your Cobb, your Wills;
Brock went like the slash of a knife.
Baseball, track, and poker met
in the cool shift of his eyes;
the agitated pitcher peered
over his left shoulder - a weak hand of cards
against this Card - who led
so brassy and distant from the sack -
whose acrobatics made him safe
from the surest gunslinging cowboy -
who only stole when he needed,
no ninth inning ten run lead prima donna -
NOBODY EVER STOLE
like Lou Brock
on the high wire of a tenth inning tie
so incredibly
and so often.


Touching All the Bases