FLAMETHROWER for Bob Gibson

FLAMETHROWER
for Bob Gibson

By J. Archer Avary

he had no time for pleasantries
locked-in, he glared down from the mound
      dominant 
      menacing
      ferocious and intense
a flamethrower feared and revered
never afraid to go in high and tight
the outside corner was his domain
 
I was too young to have seen him pitch
but was aware of the legend
      the 1.12 ERA in 1968
      two Cy Young awards
the World Series heroics
but I didn’t learn until later in life
he balled for the Harlem Globetrotters
before his big league days
 
Bob Gibson lived just down the street
when I was a teenager I knocked on his door
with my ball and glove
      not seeking an autograph
      I just wanted to play catch
he admonished me for my audacity
‘do not disturb me in my domain’ he bellowed
I learned my lesson and never came back
 
but like a barrel-aged whiskey 
it was said he mellowed with time
when honored by his hometown of Omaha
with a boulevard bearing his name
      he spoke 
      albeit briefly
‘If I keep on talking I’m going to cry’ he said
      ‘and as you know, I never cry.’

J. Archer Avary is a former TV journalist. He listened to the magical 1984 Detroit Tigers season through a tiny speaker under his pillow as a young boy. He changed allegiances in 2001, and now roots for the Milwaukee Brewers from a tiny island in the English Channel. His poetry has appeared in The Daily Drunk, Rejection Letters, Plum Recruit, and other literary journals.  You can follow him on Twitter @j_archer_avary.