Shake It Off

Here is a brief story about some advice I got from a beloved cheerleader. This story started out as a poem. It had potential. It still does. But for now, it’s a brief story. I’m learning, by the way, that this is part of the journey of a poet. Sometimes you have to expand before you can contract. I hope that happens some day.

Baseball Wisdom
for Gerry

They told us it was dangerous to swim in the quarry when I was a kid. They told me it had no bottom. They were lying, of course, but it was an easy way to explain
how deep the fresh water goes. Last month, I dove head first into a quarry of doubt.
The dictionary defines quarry as an “an object of pursuit,” and “an abundant source or supply.” Even the object of my pursuit for an abundant source was unclear.

My teacher nodded. It was as if he was saying, “Oh yes, I’ve gone swimming
in those waters, too.”

“Here’s what you’ve got to do,” he offered. “Be like a pitcher: stand on the mound, hold the baseball in your hand, and wait for the catcher to send you a signal.
If his message is not good for you, shake it off with certainty. Refuse the sign, don’t worry about hurt feelings. Trust the reasons we can only guess at, but you know because you are the pitcher and the game can’t go on until you wind up and throw. Fast ball, curve, slider, high and away, maybe some intentional chin music by the batter’s shoulder. You decide what to throw; you decide when to say “no.”

“Resist the pull to the bottom of that quarry, shake it off, shake it off. Shake it off like the pitcher does,” my teacher said one Tuesday.

That night, I swam back to surface.

© July 2007