Just who greeted
Willie Mays when
he sprinted around
the last base (cap
flying off like a black
bird) and came home
to Heaven?
All the gods within
the Gods, that's who.
Not all of them are fans
of baseball, that baroque
American sport. But
in spite of us, they're all
fans of joy and buoyancy
and the quickening of talent
and of people who rise above
even as they're fighting through.
Yeah, all the gods, that's who.
Willie's summer-dawn smile
opened, and the gods smiled
back, and Willie scored
his forever winning run.
hans ostrom 2024
