Something Larger

 It's been a busy time here. I started a blog post several days ago, but haven't had time to finish it. So I dug out a poem I wrote years ago. The Cubs are doing well this year (though I was too tired to stay up to see who won last night. Don't tell me! I'll watch it later.)  The other post will arrive as soon as I can get to it, but here's a filler in the meantime.....

_________________________________________________________________________

Something Larger


Evening dusk pulls me inside to settle into the recliner,

the screen in front of me showing my favorite baseball team

running the bases. The score is against us,

and it is raining on the Chicago field,

the other team so far ahead

you’d think I’d turn off the TV.


But loyalty is a powerful instinct.

The players on my chosen team feel like family.

With each one there is a bond as they do their best

and I’m at their back as I sigh at a strike out,

smile when the pitcher throws a good inning,

shout with joy at a home run

even though no one but the neighbors can hear me.


There is a pulling together, not only of the players,

but of all of us fans, near and far, distant but attentive.

Someone from another planet would scratch their head,

watching blue- and white-covered humans running with a ball.

What possible purpose informs this erratic behavior?


Yet it is a manifestation of our deep need for tribe,

for being part of something larger,

for reaching beyond ourselves and joining with others,

even if the purpose is just winning a ball game.

The feeling of togetherness expands our lives

and fills us with the knowledge that we are not alone.

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