-Only you-

There's a lot that can happen at the plate.

You can stand on either side of it with a 3 & 2 count,

with men on 2nd and 3rd, behind by 2 in the 8th,

waiting with nowhere near the patience of Job.

You can strike out at the plate.

You can slide into it feet first, head first, hands first.

You can squat behind it flashing secret finger signs

while the pitcher bends his torso and stares you down like priest.

Consider this: the stubby fingers of the catcher, often the most

unkempt player on the field held to the same artistry as one

would demand in the performance of a ballet

You can observe the goings-on standing behind the catcher,
bending your torso so that everything's on the up-and-up,

and when all this seriousness is over,

you can have a lot of fun at the plate, jumping

up and down on it like a gang of dusty lunatics
whenever somebody hits the game-winner. 

Watch out! You'll certainly get beaned at the plate

if you approach it as if it belongs to only you.

I once knew a kid who played second base

for Immaculate Conception (called: “the I-macs”)

in the old CYO League of Fall River who

seemed a little crazy when he marked
the cross of the crucifixion in the dirt
with the knob of his bat at the edge of the box
before stepping to the plate.

At about the same time, Jimmy Piersall,
centerfielder for the Red Sox was doing the same thing
before stepping-up and Jimmy, well, he seemed to go a little crazy, too.

So, yeah. There’s a lot that can happen at the plate.

6/3/17 RIP