checking the new box scores

i used to check

the baseball box scores

first thing

in the morning when i

retrieved the paper

from the bushes

near the porch.

how many hits did Mantle

get,

how many strikeouts

for Kofax,

or Whitey Ford.

who's in first place

with the Senators in last,

but now, i check the pollen

count,

the weather,

then turn the page

to see who has 

died, what caused it,

and at what age.