I look at my dogs and wonder why they
like chasing the ball. Rabbits and squirrels
I get; the ball must have a magic all its own.
20 years after Annie Barker’s dress lifted
above her waist as she ran for a touchdown
I married her – still I marvel at the daisies and
freckles beneath her dress. Is glimmer one of
those words that makes you think of stars,
or ice in moonlight? If I have a glimmer of
hope would it shine like stars out over the
ocean, or would it mean the moon might
be made of green cheese? When that first
girl pulled the heart from my chest and
handed it to me like a shell, I put it to my
ear and heard the sound of my impending
doom. I survived, though I will never
forget the silence in that shell. I still hold
it to my ear now and then, searching
for a glimmer of hope, something magic
for me to chase.
dVerse open link night
Tossing a Ball
28 Tuesday Jan 2014
Posted poems
in
Mary said:
This is beautiful, Ron. I think we all want / need something to chase….perhaps a dream to chase or a hope no matter how dim. As I am sitting here commenting, my dogs are wanting me to play ‘chase’ with one of the toys. Perhaps they are chasing a dream…in their own way…of some prey that they have ancestral memory of. And now I think of men playing baseball…and the ‘field of dreams.’ And anyway, your poem really got me going here!
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Grace said:
If there is nothing to chase or some things to aim for, I will feel dull & listless ~ May you hear whatever it is that you want to hear from that shell ~
Take care ~
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Steph said:
Beautiful. It’s the thrill of the chase that enlivens our senses, keeps us engaged.. like that shell.. chasing the magic.
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grapeling said:
that impending doom – what a great trope of the heart / shell / ear / doom, Ron ~
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Cressida de Nova said:
I think it is very romantic that you married your football buddy:)
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Brendan said:
Very well crafted, Ron, and with loads of heart inside the art. I loved the passage of that shell and what we strain to hear in it — those glimmers. Toss the ball, fetch it back. Loved it.
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Björn Rudberg (brudberg) said:
The words of those old loves come out so strong.. We all carry those hopes within our heart I think.
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brian miller said:
i am glad you emergency turned out the best…
the glimmer of her dress rising in the game, that made me smile…its funny when love finds us, you know…i like how you blended that in….the shell to the ear…i am listening…
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claudia said:
oh there is beautiful magic in this… really love the listening to the shell on the ear… and glad the emergency turned out well
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poetrypea said:
We should all have that shell. Beautiful.
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billgncs said:
this was a delight to read
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geraldine snape said:
wonderful use of such tender thoughts …hope and hopeless….a story in a poetic nutshell.
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