Say what you will,
they've got religion here,
and ceremony, too.
Their rituals, their signs,
old hymns and homilies,
the chants of choir-boys,
their prayers, their blasphemies,
catechisms and the final word
from clergy dressed in black.

The faithful, row on row, crowd in,
rising as one, they genuflect and rise again,
adding their voices to the general din,
they pray for miracles, or reckonings,
they have their saints, their sinners
and their holy days--
and they believe.

The Almighty shapes some symmetries in green,
his naves and transepts grass and clay,
laid out between the lines,
and stations of the cross along the way,
and paths to righteousness, and wrongs,
and prodigals returning home,
pardoned for the errors of their ways.

As for hereafters,
summer days are halcyon,
and true.
And come the fall,
down all the years,
green weathers well in memory,
for spring.

you are correct that sport is ritual filled,
where there is passion, there is ritual.

this struck me once seeing hockey players
come out of the dressing rooms and skating circles as a team
as a 'warmup', then they shoot on the goalie
and later circle him for support. the audience looked on.

it seems baseball is sliding into PoetryCircle.

I enjoyed the poem.

Yes, indeed, sport is religion in some
respects. A night game at Fenway is
a holy experience. Glad you enjoyed
the poem.

                        Ken

I have hats for daily benediction in several different colors, Ken!!!!!
And can't wait to meet the Yankees again!

Great poem!

"green weathers well in memory,..."

Ain't that the truth!!

Can I say what a great poem this is technically
without sounding the least bit prejudicial?

Yeah, but only by the slimmest of margins.

Nice!Nice!Nice!And very nice!!!!

All of it!!!!!

Maggie

I'm liking these baseball poems!  Both sound and rhythm  bring this one home for me.  Nice one, Ken.

ld

Maggie,

To know that your ecumenical talents include
The Game tops all toppers! Thank you for the
enthusiastic reception to this liturgy. It was fun
to write. I actually have one quarter of a weekend
series to F good for 7-8 games per season; I don't
sell them but I can't use them all so let me know
and Santa, who now dresses in red and Fenway blue,
may bring base metal to the Flanagan-Wilkie mecca
of poetry and sport of all varieties.

Lynn, I'll do my best!

                      Ken

Oh, hell yes, I'm letting you know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excellent! Can't wait to watch a game next, with this poem in mind! Tom

Ken, I think this poem is wonderful, thought it was awesome even before I realized it wasn't a real Catholic service (duh).  Ok, now, don't laugh too hard, but really, your descriptions are so effective and I'm not Catholic.

This is one of your very best, imo, Ken.

Thanks,
cheryl

Tom,

Thanks for the po,pt!

                Ken

Cherylanne--what a lovely response to this poem. Thank you!

                                                                         Ken
                                                                                       

nice work!

good stuff

John and Mikael,

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks.

                     Ken

perhaps should have written "brought this one home for me" -- i'm likin' it as is.

As a non-sports fan, I still found myself rounding the bases with this one.  In honor of the season, thought I'd post this home run up front and center.

ld