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Take Heart: A Conversation in Poetry: Free Agent
Edited and introduced by Wesley McNair, Maine Poet Laureate
In this month of the NBA playoffs, here?s a basketball poem by Marija Sanderling, of Wells, who questions the success rate of a solitary shooter on a city court.
Free Agent by Marija Sanderling
He shoots baskets The empty lot The netless hoop Suspended like a halo His daily routine Sometimes with others Mostly alone To shoot and dribble Like the players on tv He?s a free agent Who dropped out of school So even the gym teacher Can?t tell him If he?s any good. Three hours a day No traveling No transitions Just free throws and slam dunks And all it?s gotten him Is a 90% success rate And a view of the city Through the chain-link fence.
Take Heart: A Conversation in Poetry is produced in collaboration with the Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance. Poem copyright © 2010 by Marija Sanderling. Reprinted from Maine Taproot, Encircle Publications, 2010, by permission of Marija Sanderling. Questions about submitting to Take Heart may be directed to David Turner, Special Assistant to the Maine Poet Laureate, at 207-228-8263 or poetlaureate@mainewriters.org.