Our song

It was a mid week ball game.
They’re often the same;
Long shadows, hotdogs and beer.
We sat in the bleachers
Taking in all the features
And the shorts on the girls of good cheer.

A slight breeze was blowing
And the low sun was showing
A perfect night for a game.
I felt a slight thrill
From a minor beer spill
And my son on the right felt the same

The home team was scratching
In uniforms matching
And chewing tobacco you know,
Wondering how their pants fit,
How far they could spit
And if the money was quite worth the show.

The players in lines
And catchers with signs
Hi-fived each other in turn.
The fans all applauded
As the umpires nodded
Their approval with little concern.

To a small wooden box
Stepped a young girl with locks
Whose dress was starched and prim
And an older man there
Leaned over with care
To the mike right next to her chin.

“Now ladies and gents
We proudly presents
Our National Anthem for you
Sung by this young girl
Miss Jennefer Earl.
Here she is without further ado.”

All of us rose,
Some in support hose,
And I removed my hat to my chest.
The noise all died down
To a low humming sound
As we came to a near perfect rest.

The sweet young girl
With a bouncy brown curl
Stepped a bit closer to sing.
With a most pleasing voice
And our favorite choice,
The whole city could hear her voice ring

“Oh say can you see
By the dawn’s early light....”
And as the song continued that night
I hummed a few bars
Beneath the faint stars
And brushed a tear from my sight.

Oh, some guys were joking
And some kids were cokeing
And some girls were spreading bug lotion
But most people, by far,
Watched that young star
Sing our song with real emotion.

Her voice carried loud
Right over the crowd
And we felt the truth as it soared,
“The land of the free
And the home of the brave.”
From our hearts rose a prayer to our Lord.

For the fine men who died
To give us this pride
And the right to say what we feel.
To live and to die
And to vote and know why
And to love this land that is real.

As she finished our song
Silence captured us all
And with a lump in his throat
The umpire said, “Play ball.”
Oh, one team would win
And one team would fall
But win or lose
We could still make this call ,
God bless this country
And us one and all.

~Robert E Browne~

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