SIGNS OF SPRING

In just about a couple of weeks,
pitchers and catchers will report
to camps in Arizona and Florida,
this event sending sharp signals
to my heart to beat a little faster.
As winter’s slumber gives way
to a joyous spring awakening,
I can almost smell the
green grass of the outfield.
Outside, storm clouds threaten,
but the prospect of pitch and catch,
easy jogging, and warm-up drills
requires the shedding of coats,
and the donning of tee-shirts,
combined with the hope that I, too,
can begin the season with a clean slate.
More than January First, more than any vow,
spring training marks the starting line
where all past mistakes have been erased,
and all past failures have been stuffed
into a winter’s sealed trunk to be
carried out to the garage and forgotten.