ScottRhoades.com

Scott Rhoades

is a freelance writer based
in Utah.

"And, by the way... you're
a hell of a good writer, yourself."
--Ray Orrock, Columnist
Alameda Newspaper Group
(Scott's first writing hero)

Links

Writing: Poems

I haven't written much poetry lately, but here are a few poems from when I did.

Buying Baseball Cards

I wrote this poem in college, about one of my favorite things to do when I was a kid. Around 1991, it won Honorable mention in a contest sponsored by USA Today Baseball Weekly, and was put on display at the MLB Hall of Fame Library. I wonder if it's still there...

Buying Baseball Cards

Me and Pat walked to Marv's Liquors
jeans ripped from sliding into second
until our shins bled
Marv watched us like a cleanup hitter
follows the spin of a curve
Ten packs for a sweat-soaked buck
We never picked the ones on top
everybody knows good cards
hide on the bottom
Didn't want no doubles or belly itchers
liked A's most of all
doubles was ok if they was
Reggie, Rollie, Blue Moon
I had four Dave Duncans
till I traded one to Pat for six Giants
cause he thought he looked like him

Stood by the Black velvet girl
under the Two Minors at a Time sign
carefully peeled waxy wrappers
Maybe Catfish Hunter's green cap shone
in the Budweiser glow
like the gold ticket Charlie found
in the Willy Wonka chocolate bar
Pat got Joe Rudi
'Oh man, I'll trade you'
'No way Jose unless you give me a whole pack'
I pouted
said 'You're lucky'
didn't trade

Cheeks stuffed with bubble gum
to look like major leaguers
only difference between gum and cards
is the gum doesn't have a picture
Cards split in four stacks
twenty five cards in a pocket
makes walking hard
if you don't want wrinkles or bent cards
We stopped to read the backs:
'Joe Pepitone is in the hair-styling business'

Me and Pat in my room
surrounded by posters and pennants
tried to swap three lousy players
for two good ones
argued like real general managers
Play by play voice faster than Lou Brock
Men faking flu cheered from the bleachers
Our world a big baseball
laced with little boys

--Scott Rhoades

Blink with Me

I once had the opportunity to meet poet Ken Brewer and listen to him read. That made me want to to experiment with a list poem, a poem made of a list of images. This is what I came up with.

Blink with Me

That which in the lightning flashes
forth, makes one blink, and say 'Ah!'
--That 'Ah!' refers to divinity.

Chandogya Upanishad

Lightning in my eye, thunder in my ear
rain on my face and shoulder, cold in
my breath, the moon shining through
a cloudy shroud

Asp on the ground, leap of grasshoppers
hawk in flight, squirrels in
trees, fallen leaf resting near
my feet

Height of a redwood, crash of a wave
roar of an earthquake, the number of
stars, rocks rolling at the head
of a landslide

Ancient walls, cathedral towers
stained glass windows, the speed of
a fastball, a mile run in less than
four minutes

Swollen belly, stare of a baby
dance of a child, the struggle for
life, nodding of age,
and you.

Ah!

--Scott Rhoades

Love Poems

These next couple mean something special to my wife and me.

Dreamtime

She told me, at night
the angels come into your dreams.
They play with you--
sweet little angels--
shower you with secret delights

like chocolate kisses
the candy shop owner folds into
your hand with a wink after mom
says you can't have any.
Forbidden sweets taste the best.

In that Between-Time when
one dream sleeps into the next,
an angel is at your side,
real as the tickle of
a finger brushing down your spine.

--Scott Rhoades

Lemon

Take one of those wedges
you might put in your Diet Coke.
Suck gently. Kiss the juice
from the pulp. Let it run
down your chin if it wants to;
we'll take care of that later.

Now, hold the remaining peel,
rub it softly behind your ear,
down the line of your jaw.
The smooth roughness, almost
like a tongue, but cool, leaves
its crisp oil behind.
Lemon is the best perfume;
you'll smell good all day.

Imagine it's me doing this.
Feel me beside you, behind you--
around you.

--Scott Rhoades

All poems copyright © Scott Rhoades. Unauthorized use prohibited.