identical smiles, same blond hair
next to each other
in the batting lineup
watching them joke around with their teammates
-their friends-
you’d never guess.
you’d never guess that these boys never had a father,
no one to tell them stories, no one to answer
when they called out,
“daddy?”
you’d never guess that their mother is falling apart,
drowning in a disease that could kill her, battling
her own body, and nearly
losing.
you’d never guess that their fees are being taken care of
by the coaches, because their family an barely take care of
itself.
but, see, you’d never guess
by watching one boy toe the pitcher’s mound while his
brother wrestles on a catcher’s mask.
by seeing them each swing a bat around,
by practically hearing their success when the
metal connects with that 9-inch ball.
by listening to them laugh and talk, to each other,
to their friends.

identical smiles, same blond hair
next to each other
in the batting lineup.
you’d never guess.