When I see the blackbirds and sparrows
speeding low in the sky
ahead of a storm,
They remind me of a childhood summer
and Maury Wills, the
stolen base king.
I remember my father's barber crowing at the tv,
"What a crackerjack!"
as I waited in a chair, feet dangling.
When I see the red squirrel take over the feeder
despite being smaller,
I think of Maury Wills beating the odds
and the throw to second.
He disrupted the pitcher, catcher, and fielders
like the neighbor cat in the ground ivy
sure to pounce, just a matter of when.
His feet were his fortune, raising the dust sliding in
on legs purple with dreadful bruises
and red with rash, the Dodgers' captain
doing whatever it took.
When I see the grackle strutting with its gotten peanut
I think of Maury Wills' bright jewelry--
the Hickock Belt, MVP and World Series rings.
The resourceful chipmunk makes me wonder, what is it like
to be smaller, quicker, cheeks stuffed
while the circling hawk goes hungry?
Then I realize that I already know these things, even as
the years steal on me and I grow slower
sitting in my sanctuary, watching the action.
_________________
For Word Garden Word List--Mary Oliver.
Process notes: Maury Wills is a lifelong favorite of mine, first for his baseball skills, and later for other things as well. He grew up in the projects in Washington DC and had no idea a black kid could hope to play in the majors until a Senators player named Jerry Priddy showed up at his local diamond to talk to the kids playing ball there. Wills never forgot it. Too small to be a slugger, he learned to switch hit and to use his speed, a forgotten weapon in baseball in an era of burly bashers.
It was a long road to the big show for him, but when he finally got his chance, he ran with it (pun intended!). He went on to become captain of the Los Angeles Dodgers, break Ty Cobb's single season stolen base record, win an MVP award in 1962 and the Hickok Belt for sportsman of the year across all sports. He even made numerous appearances on television variety shows, playing the banjo--typical of him to choose such an instrument.
When his baseball career ended, and everything he had worked so hard to excel at was over, things changed. A girlfriend introduced him to cocaine, and Wills fell down, all the way down, into full-blown addiction. It took time, but once again the tenacity and drive that served him in baseball served him again in recovery and like me, he lived sober for the rest of his days. Maury Wills lived by his own lights, found great success his own way, and beat the devil to finish up on a high note.
I have tried here to combine Mary Oliver's eye for the everyday wonder of the natural world with the story of a childhood hero, Maury Wills.
Music: Tracey Chapman Fast Car