Meanwhile, On a Different Field

 

I’ve never been a baseball fan. To be honest, I’ve lived with only a rudimentary knowledge of the game through most of my life. But an occasional peek into the goings-on during the Houston Astros’ run toward the American League championship meant that I saw Yordan Alvarez’s walk off homer in game one of that series. Like much of Houston, I couldn’t stop watching the next game, and the next, and the next.

This morning, one of the most elderly residents of my complex was out walking her dog as usual, and we greeted one another as we usually do. But this time, when I said, “Good morning!” she replied, “How ’bout them Astros?” Today, even supporters of other teams are saying the same thing.

In the grand scheme of things, a World Series title may seem unimportant, but a happy city isn’t the worst thing in the world, and down at the local café the happiness was palpable. Everyone — Black, White, Hispanic, male and female, young and old — was talking about only one thing, and perhaps remembering what it felt like to live beyond divisions.

 

Comments always are welcome.

A Song for Springing Forward

 

I bought a cheap watch from the crazy man
Floating down Canal;
It doesn’t use numbers or moving hands,
It always just says Now.
Now you may be thinking that I was had,
But this watch is never wrong.
And if I have trouble, the warranty said
Breathe in, breathe out, move on.
And it rained, it was nothing really new.
And it blew, we’ve seen all that before.
And it poured, the Earth began to strain;
Pontchartrain leaking through the door, tides at war.
If a hurricane doesn’t leave you dead
It will make you strong;
Don’t try to explain it, just nod your head —
Breathe in, breathe out, move on.
And it rained, nothing really new.
And it blew, seen all that before.
And it poured, the Earth began to strain;
Pontchartrain buried the Ninth Ward to the second floor.
According to my watch, the time is now;
Past is dead and gone.
Don’t try to shake it, just nod your head —
Breathe in, breathe out, move on,
Don’t try to explain it, just bow your head —
Breathe in, breathe out, move on.
Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains.
Henry David Thoreau

Comments always are welcome.