THE OLD BALL PARK
by Phil S. Dixon
© 2020 There stands an old ball park Right in the heart of our town As long as I can remember It's always been around Today, the city Fathers Have sworn to tear it down They say the old parks a relic Baseball is derelict in this town The outfield fence no longer shines It's gray and almost pale The wooden grandstand is falling It too, is mighty frail They plan to build an apartment A design for future days Our town is really booming The old park is in the way Uptown they speak in unison The council, auditors and finance They say the old park’s ancient It doesn't stand a chance So, before they start the demolition I had this little premonition about some past I wanted you to recall And most included baseball A summer's game of rituals Played on this memorable space A time worth recalling An old forgotten face Let us take a moment to consider What a ball field means to you and I I will try to keep this as brief as possible And here are the reasons why
Our park screamed fun On a hot day in the sun It was a place for social visits A place where arguing was done Where little girls played softball And coaches gave no slack A place were small boys played t-ball And ended up as men in Connie Mack This is where young people came to try Then made memories that last a lifetime And thrills that never die It was a place where old men clamored To rehash their younger days A place where young boys gather With dreams of big league play You see, dreams were made there Impression in our minds so deep Visions of some kid's first hit A grandparent in a favorite seat Dust in your nostrils On a windy day The thrill of winning a championship Or some fantastic play
Perhaps you may recall
Painful strawberries on knees and thighs Outfield grass that grew too high Or days when skies were gray When clouds suddenly appeared
And games were washed away And yes, some days were disappointing In life we all get bumped Even the great teams lose sometime And champions are sometimes thumped
You see, these ball parks aren't unique This I can guarantee Every city and town has one Some have two or three So kindly take a moment Pause and tip your hat The old park is headed for destruction And it won't be coming back For you and I are like these ball parks Someday we will be old And as bizarre as it may seem right now We will be like relics
Our memories the forgotten gold And years from now I am fairly sure Someone will smile, point and shout Will they be cheering for those apartments? This I rather doubt.
