In one life you’re out in left field
and in the next your boy is at the batter’s box
and you’re the manager, rather,
a coach in this town.

It’s two outs, bottom of the ninth,
tied, with nobody on.
The season, too, is winding down.
You’ve yet to win one.

You have, with help of texts,
taught them the game.
Hands tucked in your back pockets,
you kick the dust off third base and pace.

You’ve talked a lot about having fun,
how winning’s less important than heart.
You stop, look toward the plate. Without a sound
your stance is the sign for home run.

Among Karl Elder's honors are the Christopher Latham Sholes Award from the Council for Wisconsin Writers; a Pushcart Prize; the Chad Walsh, Lorine Niedecker, and Lucien Stryk Awards; and two appearances in The Best American Poetry. His novel, Earth as It Is in Heaven, is from Pebblebrook Press. Alpha Images: Poems Selected and New (Water’s Edge Press) appeared in 2020.