Dime-A-Dog Night

12 thousand people all holding their breath
or yawning or clapping for the little men
down on the grass. We came here to eat hot dogs!
We came here to drink beer and see baseballs
climb the sky! To see outfielders launch
themselves into smooth green walls!
Beautiful women and beautiful children
were in the crowd and beautiful weather
hung in the air. Everyone knew
it was a perfect night. The lights
winked on like Diamond earrings.
My cousin Tony and brother Max and I
snuck down to the front row,
where we could yell insults at the
bullpen or the umpires and they might
hear us. We ate green hot dogs and spilled
Pepsi on a statue of a businessman.
An accident, we decided it was a protest
against them building a statue of some guy
just cause he spent a lot of money.
We yelled obscene things about #34's wife
as he warmed up in the bullpen
and when they released him into the game
we felt almost a little proud
like he was our friend or a guy we knew
in high school. Top of the ninth,
we're up 3 runs and the crowd chimes
according to every ball and strike.
Our friend #34 threw into the emptiness
of the batter's swing three times
and we heard the ball swallowed into nothing
and stood and woo-hooed! We won! The whole
skyline was on it's feet over the outfield.
We walked the three blocks back to my house
and two men in a silver car stopped
us on the corner in the dark.
Who won? Clippers. Score? 11-8.
It was minor league, they weren't playing
for anything, but it was a stadium record
attendance. Me and Max and Tony breathing
the same Summer air as everyone else, alive.