Suburban Basketball
Based on an actual, observed event
Ten young men of athletic bent
shivered and stamped in the cold
beneath the hoop on the asphalt court
where their game was to unfold.
Each was decked in the latest garb
science can provide:
shoes to increase vertical leap—
soles to help them glide;
shirts and shorts of a fabric weave
that wicks the sweat away—
permanent press to look their best,
stretch—to give them play;
iridescent opticals
that wrap around the face;
digital monitors on the wrist
to record aerobic pace.
But instead of playing, they gossiped,
stood around feeling foolish and small,
`cause the last guy arrived and they realized
that no one had brought a ball.
Roxanna Dunn lives near Lake Tahoe, where the scenic vistas and glorious sunsets have not dulled her sense of irony. She recites poetry to herself while swimming laps—seeking to keep mind as well as body in shape. She is a little concerned that the lifeguards regard her as “that crazy lady who talks to herself while she swims,” but, of course, technically…