Ridin’ the Pine

March 26, 2013 at 9:01 am · Filed under Mostly true, Other people's work, Poems, Stories ·Tagged Jagged Little Pieces, Kellie Elmore, magic in the backyard, poetry

Many of us had aspirations of greatness when we were kids, some of us still hang onto those dreams, and some—not many—maybe even reached the lofty heights to which they aspired. Some, simply didn’t dream. Me, I dreamed, but it seems I was just another face in the crowd, wielding a bat that never quite made contact, and writing songs that never got sang. It bothered me some for a bit, but I’ve come to terms with who I am and what I’ve offered up to the world. I’ve learned to do the best I can each day, and rest assured it’s enough.

Ridin’ the Pine

 

Do you know what it’s like

To be that guy

You know, the one the girls say

Well, he ain’t no Brad Pitt

But he’s kinda cute

And he’s soooo funny

 

Do you know what it’s like

To be the guy always ridin’ the pine

You know… the almost guy

Almost good enough, but not as good as

The guy he’s cheering for

The one who just made the diving catch

Rolled, stepped on the bag

Spun in the air like some freakin’ ballerina

And fired the ball to first for a double play

 

Do you know what it’s like

To write poems, stories and novels

Doing it because you love it

And maybe because you have a dream, too

And can’t imagine ever doing anything else

Then you pay to have your novel published

You know, the one that sold fourteen copies

Then you read a novel by Stephen King

Robert McCammon, or Elmore Leonard…

Or a book of poetry by Kellie Elmore

And you walk into your office

Look at your computer

And mumble to yourself

What the hell was I thinking

 

Copyright © 2013 C Mashburn

 

I’ll be sharing this on dVerse Poets Pub’s Open Link Night #89 this afternoon. And, since it inspired this poem, I’d like to dedicate it to Kellie Elmore to celebrate the release of her second book of poetry. Click here to read my review of  Jagged Little Pieces.

Jagged Little Pieces on Amazon

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