National Poetry Month: It's How You Play the Game

The prompt from National Poetry Writing Month, the website that encourages poets to write a new poem every day throughout the month of April, calls for writing a poem based on the jargon of a sport of game.

               Here's how the site put it: 

Today, I challenge you to write a poem that incorporates the vocabulary and imagery of a specific sport or game. Your poem could invoke chess or baseball, hopscotch or canasta, Monopoly or jai alai. The choice is yours!

[http://www.napowrimo.net/]

               Here's my poem.

The Odd Ball Game

I take a swing at Stumpy's curve

And leg a hit to short and dirt

And wish that I would have the nerve

to grow my hair or wear a skirt

Bello follows, swinging big but bleeds a squib

An easy out at second base

He hollers to the world he's safe

And snarls at me and tells a fib

He's stylin' when they pick him off

But bitches at Ump Stinky's call

I'm hoping he will get the toss

But he is big and Stinker's small

The game drags on all afternoon

They kick our butt, you'd never know

From Bello's rants and taunts and lies

You'd think he was the only show

I'm rapping with our Number Nine

Her eyes are big, her hair is fine

She plays the game as I think I could

But I am wary, and she is good

Then Bello roars, and flaunts, and steals a pinch

Nine swings a bat at his fat rump

He stumbles and disputes the play 

"You can't do that, my name is Dump"

But rules are rules, and girls can play

It's not as hard as they make it seem

And the score that counts is the game of life

Next year I'll start another team