The Saddest Scene Ever from Bull Durham

The Saddest Scene Ever from Bull Durham

By Frank J. Albert

A gray world marches to thunder.
Torrents punish the grass; a cold lake
spreads on the Durham infield tarp.
Water streams from the dugout roof
inches from the faces of the last
gum-chewing players who give up
and prance through the flood
to the clubhouse.  No game today.
The sky is a busted rainspout
that grounds crew cannot repair.
Annie Savoy packs her scorebook,
her poetry, and her hope,
splashes home in sneakers
and anklets beneath a failed umbrella.
Her hair becomes an auburn straggle.
The saddest of sights is a ballpark
in the rain, with just a few
lingering unbelievers in the stands
not willing to accept the hard truth
of a day without baseball.
Where will they go?  All they can do
is step through the gate
and face the world and its storms,
having left the cathedral
with their prayers unanswered.

Frank J. Albert lives in Western Pennsylvania and has taught Humanities courses in several Pittsburgh area colleges. His work has appeared in several small press/literary journals, including Cedar Rock and Wind/Literary Journal. Most recently, his fiction will appear in Armstrong Literary in spring 2023, and his poetry will be part of Western Pennsylvania Bards Anthology (Spring 2023).

Mark Mosley is a public school 7th grade math teacher. He draws baseball cards when he is not driving his son to baseball or his daughter to gymnastics. His cards can be seen on Twitter @mosley_mark, on Instagram @idrawbaseballcards, and can be purchased at https://idrawbaseballcards.bigcartel.com/

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