Casey at the Bat (Sestina) by Michael Ceraolo

Casey at the Bat (Sestina)

It didn't look good for the nine from Mudville

as the game entered the bottom of the ninth inning;

four players were scheduled to bat

before the order came around to Casey

If two of the four got on he would win them the game,

because there was no chance he'd strike out

But the first two batters were rapidly put out,

and hope was dwindling here in Mudville;

it looked like a quick one-two-three inning

But the next two hitter who came to bat

got hits, and that brought the great Casey

to the plate with a chance to win the game

Yes, Casey would win them the game

if only he could clout one out,

and there would be great happiness in Mudville

over the come-from-behind win in the last inning,

especially if the game-winning blow was off the bat

of the soon-to-be-immortal Casey

Yes, it would be idolized Casey

who would now be the star of the game

From the on-deck circle he stepped out,

and there was a standing ovation in Mudville

with two on and two out in the ninth inning

Advancing to the plate, he discarded the extra bat

Yes, as our hero waved the remaining bat

"Casey   Casey   Casey   Casey

Win for us this blasted game

by blasting the ball out"

was the chant of the fans in Mudville

in that fateful last of the ninth inning

Yes, it would be long remembered, that inning

It would be long remembered, that at-bat

of their mighty hero Casey

The fans would long remember that game

after they had quietly file out

and returned to the regular life of Mudville

There would be no extra innings in Mudville;

the game ended with their last at-bat

Mighty Casey had struck out

Bio:  "Michael Ceraolo is a retired firefighter/paramedic and active poet who has had one full-length book (Euclid Creek, from Deep Cleveland Press) and a few chapbooks published (among the chapbooks is Cleveland Haiku, from Green Panda Press). He has a second full-length book, Euclid Creek Book Two, forthcoming from unbound content press, and is continually working on new and existing poetry projects."