Hard not to think of calling you
even far too late into the night
to commiserate an entire season
as leaves strewn upon a path
knowing neither of us know
quite what went wrong in the end
thankful you were there on the other
end of the line when they won
fifteen years ago now I have
to do the math you were 96
long past the point of saying
your longevity was down to
Faith Family and Phillies
you saw that team slowly then
quickly disintegrate too I remember
days after you died I watched
the first spring training game
in a fluorescent green haze myself
sick at the thought of mass death
no idea what became of that season
I could look it up but have no
appetite for that now I am
thinking of you marveling at
seeing phillies.com on the world
wide web for the first time
where you are now the whiz kids
must be rounding the bases
while I sit in the orange darkness
closing all my apps and waiting
for pitchers and catchers to report
Joshua Keiter 