The Banishment of Moses Fleetwood Walker

The Banishment of Moses Fleetwood Walker

By Matthew Johnson

While waiting for a pitching change
That has grown into a heated debate
Between a frustrated manager and a stubborn pitcher,
Ernie Banks waits in his position,
And grows queasy standing under a pitiless sun for so long.
 
Careening to his knees from the heat, a man appears to Mr. Cub,
Stretching out a hand to help lift him up.
And like Saul, or Nat Turner, seeing the Son of God,
Ernie Banks sees a dream-like figure,
And it is no other than Moses Fleetwood Walker before him.  
 
The martyr of black baseball, while helping the slugger from the dirt,
Warns the Chicago shortstop to embrace it all, the ups and downs of the sport:
Play two if you must. For I will tell you what they told me at my final game.
You shall not play two. You shall not play one more. 
You shall not play today, and you shall not play tomorrow…. 

Matthew Johnson is the author of the poetry collections, Shadow Folks and Soul Songs (Kelsay Books), Far from New York State (NYQ Press), and the chapbook, Too Short to Box with God (Finishing Line Press). His work appears/is forthcoming in The African American Review, Front Porch Review, London Magazine, Up the Staircase Quarterly, and elsewhere. He has been recognized with Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominations, a scholarship from the Hudson Valley Writers Center, a residency from Sundress Publications, and as a finalist in Grand View University’s Diverse Voices Book Award. He’s the managing editor of The Portrait of New England. Originally from Upstate New York and Connecticut, he now lives in North Carolina, rooting for the Yankees and always having his eyes out for the Mets. matthewjohnsonpoetry.com 

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