A curveball, like a political lie,
depends on spin.
Spin spools and whirls the air
around a ball,
just as lies confuse a story’s facts
and its two sides.
Standing air nudges the ball onto a path
of least resistance,
the way Tai Chi uses the force of an attacker
to throw him off.
The ball begins to curve, deceiving batters
who cannot see the spin,
like voters taken in by lies. Throwing curve
balls and telling lies
are seamy affairs. If you can’t see the seams,
you can’t see the spin,
so Keep your eye on the ball, is good advice in both
the batter’s and ballot boxes.
And late season means election day is close as a pitch
that brushes you back,
before curving in to catch the strike zone.
If you’re fooled then,
you’ll stay fooled until next season.
Play Ball!