The Day that Baseball Taught Third Grade
The Day that Baseball Taught Third Grade
after Brad Aaron Modlin
By Robert Fillman
Mr. Ripken explained how perfect attendance
is about more than just showing up. During
morning announcements, Mr. Kalas crackled
a warm horsehide good luck to the Chess Club
before their match against their better-funded
powerhouse division rivals. In Language Arts,
Mr. Weaver diagrammed extravagant sentences
with his arms that made perfect sense to students
despite their only knowing a few four-letter words.
Mr. DiMaggio explained how not to squirm
in your seat, how 56 could be considered
a prime number. Mr. Williams worked with students
at their desks on fractions, going over a worksheet
where every answer somehow came out to .406.
After lunch, Mr. McGraw talked about spirituality,
responded to every persistent question about faith
by saying, “You Gotta Believe.” For art class,
Mr. Maddux demonstrated how to paint
corners, how to create visual movement in pictures
using the slightest touch of a finger. Then
everyone stretched. The afternoon history lesson
was led by Mr. Robinson, who managed to integrate
CRT without ever uttering terms like discrimination
or privilege, instead passing around bottles and rocks
and rope as props. Realizing the afternoon bell
was about to ring, Mr. Buckner closed the day
by gathering everyone around him. He told the class
everyone makes mistakes, that everyone will be
remembered for something, so strive to be good,
above all else, always strive to be good.
This poem won the 2023 E. Ethelbert Miller Prize.
A lifelong New York Mets fan, Robert Fillman is the author of House Bird (Terrapin, 2022). His poems have appeared in Poetry East, Salamander, Tar River Poetry, Valparaiso Poetry Review, and elsewhere. His chapbook, November Weather Spell, was published by Main Street Rag Publishing in 2019.
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.
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