Waiting for Jacqueline Robinson

for Anna

At the empty college backstop
I bring a bucket of baseballs
throw them to Anna at the plate
tell her to swing at every one
watch the ball & hit it.

Her coach asks, “Why did she swing
it was over her head?” I say
“She hit it, got on base; at this age
they throw strikes by accident.”

She is small, fast, knocks down
boys blocking the plate. I tell her
you could be the first woman
major league baseball player.
Of course she has other ideas.

Now she helps people stay well
is gentle & kind, what she wants to do.
In the Summer we keep score at ball games
I am still waiting for Jacqueline Robinson
to make that great play at second base.

Although Dan Wilcox once worked as a dishwasher & as a short-order cook, he has never driven a cab, or lived in a trailer park. For most of his career, he worked as a bureaucrat & wrote poetry. He was recently named one of the 2019 Literary Legends by the Albany Public Library Foundation. Currently, he organizes poetry events in Albany, NY & is an active member of Veterans For Peace. You can read his blog at dwlcx.blogspot.com.