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F. John Sharp
Put Me In, Coach
The backup to
the backup catcher
never plays
when it counts or
when it doesn't.
He practices with
the backup
to the backup right fielder,
far from the starters,
tossing balls, pretending
they are cutting down
the winning
run at the plate.
Coach never sees him
apply the tag.
The backup to
the backup catcher
mostly strikes out
in practice, even
when coach
lays one in there.
The fielders use his
at-bats as a chance to
chat amongst themselves.
He always eyes
the bat, like
the bat messed up.
At the end of practice
Coach calls them all
in to run the bases.
Speed is
the backup to
the backup catcher's
only asset. He has one more
chance to
be seen,
but by now he is invisible
except to his dad
who watches from the car.
©2022 by F. John Sharp
F. John Sharp lives and works in Northeast Ohio. He is the fiction editor for Right Hand Pointing and his work can be found at his website and in Slow Trains.
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