sinophobia
the american pitcher's face is that of a born bully
a natural victimizer of smaller boys or weaker
a stranger to disappointment
but this afternoon before thousands in the hallowed ball park
and millions watching at home
he is wearing a pout on his bornbullyface
for his opponents from that part of the world
at which a western child would eventually arrive
if she kept digging
with their strange hyphenated names that
defy speakers of american english and
their identical earnest expressions and
the inevitable scrupulously instructed quality of
the asian entry in this tournament
are not much intimidated and indeed
are making him dizzy with their scampering around the bases while
his teammates have no more hope against the chinese pitcher
at twelve already as tall as most men of his race
than plywood against black & decker
venturing into the stands
the tv cameras find comparable pouts on the parentfaces
pouts that complain it's bad enough that
the parking lot is wall to wall
toyotanissanisuzumitsubishihyundaihonda
daihatsumazdasubaru
and our tvs sony toshiba and more mitsubishi
and then they humiliate our boys at a game
at which god clearly intended that we reign supreme
every american parent suddenly on his feet whooping
and the asian parents' big drum
which with every beat engenders greater sinophobia
silent for the moment
our brave boys now certain to accomplish on this ballfield
what their brothers accomplished
on the battlefields of panama and grenada and the gulf
but our shortstop blond milkfed and freckled
with democracy and capitalism in his dna
gapes at a fastball down the middle
and the parents again
are pouting |
