drinking with mickey mantle

when i was five i was king of the yard

and my grandfather said

i had one hell of an arm

i remember learning his split-finger fastball

and all the tales he would stretch with that famous turner charm

and by the fire pit in my old backyard

i used to sit transfixed by his stories

about the time him and mickey mantle drank all night long

spinning yarns of all their former glories

and i remember christmas eve when i was ten and ma told grandpa he was wasting my time

she sent him packing in the pouring rain; things were never quite the same after that night

but in the package he left under the tree was a new silver wristwatch addressed to his favorite grandson

henry