As the poet of the Farmstros Village, I established a tradition of creating and posting a poem about a fictitious baseball team known as the Dukes every Good Friday. I enjoyed being able to share these poems with my readers as a way to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus. When I departed the Farmstros offices, I wasn't sure if Dukes baseball would continue to be a part of my experience. I hoped it would.
As I discovered last spring, the Dukes are still playing baseball in the recesses of my imagination. This year's attempt to describe their exploits has been intermingled with another project currently dwelling in my cranium. As a result, the most recent Dukes poem, Regardless of the Scoreboard, is also a reflection on L.O.M.T.'s 2015 theme, REAL GRACE.
Regardless of the Scoreboard
It seemed a normal season
When the first game rolled around
Nobody saw it coming
It arrived without a sound
To some it looked like magic
That descended on the team
To others, it appeared the Dukes
Were living out a dream
There was a buzz around the team’s
Each pitch, each hit, each throw
And as the season moved along
The humming, it did grow
They did things well each night and day
They played with style and grace
And even when the Dukes did fall
They got back in the race
The Spring turned into Summer
And the Dukes maintained their roll
The fans came to the ballpark and
Cheered with their hearts and soul
They sat on edge for each pitch
Inning one to inning nine
Regardless of the scoreboard they knew
That their Dukes would be fine
A few folks were quite doubtful
They were sure good times would end
“It’s coming soon, the Dukes will show
Their face of old, again.”
Indeed, there was a group that “knew” the upswing couldn’t
last
They waited for the team to “fail as they’ve done in the
past.”
But good times did continue, through the summer into fall
The Dukes hit pot holes time to time
Yet, still they played good ball
Take me out to the ball game
Take me out to the crowd
They are our Dukes, and we’re all in
We can’t help but get loud
They rose and then they grinded
They did work as best they could
They nibbled on the corners
And when needed, swung the wood
The season ended leaving all the Dukes fans wanting more
They headed home and hoped for what the future had in store.
c2015 by Mike Tauser
For your convenience here are links to the first seven installments:
The Golden Sombrero Wearer(2008)
Three Day Journey From Worst to First(2009)
The Second Baseman Rides into the Sunset(2010)
Ballpark Time Machine(2011)
The Sword Bellied Dukes Fans' Shirts Held Scimitars(2012)
#DukesForFree
"A" League West World
