I loved to play baseball,
and though I wasn’t good enough
to play at the highest level,
while playing at the lower levels
I discovered I had the ability
to organize and operate a team
I started with independent semipros
of different races and ethnicities and then,
knowing I would never have the cash for the white majors,
got in at the beginning of the Negro Leagues
There were some who were suspicious of me
because of my race;
the only thing I could do about it
was to be who I was and wait for the wary
to come around and accept
One last thing:
though Jackie said he didn’t have a contract with us,
he did, and Branch Rickey should have
dealt honorably with us
THE POETRY OF THE GAME