There’s no mystery
to the ball hit to the gap in right centerfield.
So much room for error. So many
ways it could have been a hit anyway and otherwise.
It’s the tailing ball
down the line that sprays up chalk
that makes a difference.
It could so easily have been
elsewise:
A forgotten foul ball.
Equally forgettable, a mundane double.
But to hit it down the line and play
on the edge. Just barely in bounds.
To invest that edge with the consequence it deserves.
That’s the stuff.
–Alex Joyner
Heartlands 