Geoff M. Pope - "Fastball from My Dad"

Back in the '50s, my father
played minor league baseball
with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Bruce B. Pope was a lefty, and he hurt me,
hurt my hand bad when I was almost 11 -
after I blurted out something like, “Dad,
throw me one of your real fastballs, will ya?”

I watched his hesitation and the familiar but slightly
different windup this time; it was more pronounced,
just more dramatic, I thought. Then the pitch –
and my barely seeing it fly into my mitt.
I can still hear the hit, the violent Pop!

I tried hard not to cry when I caught it then dropped it.
I started bawling across the front yard, the palm
of my left hand stinging then throbbing,
the glove left on the ground…

me thinking something broken
and blurry like I will nev-er
question the pow-er
of my fath-er
a-gain.


Spitball: The Literary Baseball Magazine