Ordinary Inning

Ordinary Inning

By Colleen Alles

I.                
 
A radio atop the beer fridge
in the back of the garage
keeps my father company.
 
The D.J. slings some
10 a.m. trivia: a verbal Rubik’s cube.
 
First player, fastest player, best player.
To some.
 
My father paces—slow steps, long
swigs, repairing a broken lawn mower
motor. My whole life, there is nothing
he can’t fix.
 
 
II.              
 
Many years later, I stand 
on a diamond in Mississippi
where the locals tell me
 
a batter can muscle
a pitcher’s hurl all the way
into the next county.
Quite a miracle.
 
I imagine
            my father here, wish him
            with me. He would humbly love
            this muddy outfield, this
            humid, Spring evening.
 
I imagine
            an ordinary inning here.
 
And I imagine my father
            after hours listening to callers’ clumsy swings,
            all the wrong answers, setting down his can
            combing the back of his brilliant mind,
            finally dialing the trivia line.

Colleen Alles is a native Michigander and award-winning writer living in Grand Rapids. The author of two novels, a full-length poetry collection, and four poetry chapbooks, she’s also the Poetry Editor of The Lakeshore Review and a contributing fiction editor with Barren Magazine. You can find her online at www.colleenalles.com.

Elliot Lin is a college student who spends their free time musing about sports and how they shape or reflect identity. You can find their other baseball-related illustrations here, or on Twitter @hxvphaestion and Tumblr.

The Twin Bill is a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status. You can support The Twin Bill by donating here.