The First Practice
By David S. Pointer
The coach poured the
extra balls out of a
red drawstring bucket
bag, then the kids took
the mini-field forever
shagging long, left, right
foul plus one bouncing
blast over the billboard
forest where mushroom
flies and fungus gnats
hovered over the ball
until all the fielders
arrived to search deep
into the dark higher homer
power perimeter grass
just one little league
long ball game away