things and charity

in a hall of heroes who died in vain
the loyal knew well the spoils of faith
a cardinals call rang out and up
measured
echoing
falling like ash from a smokestack
then billowed back up
pouring out behind the council
and down the wide back stairs
a chorus of misled greed and hate
in awful polyphony with the rich father of mercy

war memorial at sunrise
(in 1966 at a city council meeting at the war memorial, hundreds and hundreds of the two thousand citizens attending booed cardinal sheehan’s advocacy for open housing legislation—which was, for the third time in three years, voted down by the council)

from cincinnati

coconuts dropping down south
who the hell
any pitch any curve
there will be lightning
know where to cover
wild bulls raising dust at your feet
knuckles flying like egg salad
high small fastballs
zeros and ones

memorial stadium site at sunrise
(frank robinson led the orioles to their decisive first world championship in 1966)