Perennials

Cleats clicking on the sidewalk

New uniforms over high school underwear, new socks belonging to the team

A bat a cane for the old coach still in the game, telling what’s next to listeners

Hands shaking and shaken, trash talk polite in the pre-season, balls flying, caught

All  handsome with hope, those defeated, those riding high with no end in sight

Fundamentals of starting over drilled, drilled, drilled and remembered

–At Milwaukee Brewers spring training, Maryvale, AZ