Brooklyn 1857

Brooklyn 1857

By Jack Albert

After all there was baseball
on a lazy afternoon
Walt Whitman was watching
crouched near the first base sideline
this curious new game
the young men were playing—
Someone struck out
the homies were winning
Whitman felt happy
There was joy in the air
no one seemed to care
about keeping any score
except the teams involved
playing their hearts out
sweating and laughing
Whitman was clapping
to the rhythm of the moment
along with other lookers
peering over shoulders
little kids and women
The war was in the future
far from the lazy picture
Whitman took a swig—his flask—
a nip of brandy
The game came to an end
It was starting to grow dark
Whitman sauntered away
 a sparkle on his face.
marveling at the virtues of teamwork.  

Jack Albert is a writer and a baseball fan going back to his Connie Mack Stadium days, sitting in the .75 cent bleachers, watching many future Hall of Famers in their prime. Jack’s poetry and prose has been published in a number of sites throughout the years. He attended the Breadloaf School of English at Middlebury College, where in addition to studying American literature, he took Renaissance and Dante courses with Dr. Bartlett Giamatti who later became well-known as Baseball Commissioner.       

Jason David Córdova lives in Puerto Rico as an illustrator and painter. Some of his art can be seen on Instagram at @jasoni72. You can visit his shop on Red Bubble.

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