Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs

For those of you who are skeptics, who dont believe that poetry about baseball exists, heres a poem about Charm Colors, sponsor of a town baseball team:

Charm Colors

Its just the name of a team we play,

But I cant take them seriously. Charm.

Whats that got to do with baseball?


What a charming double play. What

a charming bat. I love your cleats, theyre

charming.


Poetry can be about anything and Kevin Boland, fourteen writes about everything&monsters, love, girlfriends, his mom, his dad, everything. Kevin started writing poetry in Shakespeare Bats Cleanup when he was sidelined with mono. In this long awaited sequel (it was long awaited by me, anyway) by Ron Koertge, Kev continues. He navigates the treacherous waters of girlfriends, finding his current, Mira, a little too confining. Hes now got a crush on Amy, fellow poet and a pianist. He and Mira are so different. Shes into the environment. Hes into baseball and poetry.

The Actual Call

&We listen to each other listen

to each other breathe. I cant

tell her I wrote blank verse

about batting practice.

She thinks blank verse

means a poem about nothing.


Kevin deals with his fathers dating. He deals with the championship game. He deals with going to the movies with Amy and not telling Mira. You can imagine how that went over when she found out about it.

As I said in my review about Shakespeare Bats Cleanup, Ron Koertge makes poetry fun. Have you ever heard of a villanelle? Neither did I until I read Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs and, as I said about a sestina, its way too complicated to explain. But its not way too complicated to read. As a matter of fact, its fun. If you think poetry is for fuddy duddies, think again. If its good enough for a first baseman, its good enough for you. It may throw you a curve or two, but take a swing at it.