ginen sounding lines
~
remember just dad
tied an old tire to
a metal fence pole
so [we] could practice
pitching—o say can you hear
the hollow sound when
the baseball strikes
rubber—the rattling when
it strikes wire—or
that perfect sound—
speak english only—
when [we] strike the pole
through the center of—o
say can you remember
just little league—barrigada
"tigers"—black and gold
uniforms—red seams—
my brother played for father
duenas memorial high school
"friars"—maroon and gold
uniforms—to pledge allegiance—
[we] collected american
baseball cards and cheered
for the "bash brothers"
in "oakland"—near where
brian moved for college blue
skies—thecoliseum was
an island—green and
gold uniforms—white
bases—[we] stand
to sing the national
anthem—o say
can you see
[us]—what follows
your flag?
Copyright Credit: Craig Santos Perez, "ginen sounding lines" from From Unincorporated Territory [guma']. Copyright © 2014 by Craig Santos Perez. Reprinted by permission of Omnidawn Publishing.
Source: From Unincorporated Territory [guma'] (Omnidawn Publishing, 2014)