attention attention attention
if you come to the game
late, you’ll be walking up
the ramp when they
play the national
anthem.
if you’re in the upper deck
& it’s early may in new york––
you’ll be cold if you
don’t dress for
winter.
when you gaze
towards the horizon,
you can see the old,
world’s fair unisphere
& manhattan’s visible
to the east. jets just
out of laguardia are cutting
diagonal swaths into the
ether.
if you’re not attentively
watching every play,
you’ll never know
how the pitcher walked
3 & gave up 3 runs
in the first inning.
if you give your attention
to the hot dog man,
you’ll hear the crowd roar
but miss the only met
home-run.
inning after inning
the men go mostly down
in order.
there’s no clutch hitting
as in imagined days of yore––
watch out
or you may get hit
by a foul ball.
attention attention attention