Jackie Robinson

Early in 1947
A determined man,
Aged like a fine wine,
Dashed out to patrol second base.
Some fans cheered--
Some fans uttered death threats,
Some commented about his mom,
But he dusted off his Dodger uniform,
Kicked some dirt around
The bag
And intensely peered towards home plate.
The batter waved his bat,
The pitch was delivered . . .
And so was history!

Jackie
Played nine years,
Slid into bases and opponents,
Displayed clutch hitting,
Bunted unexpectedly,
Let his temperature reach 212 degrees,
And somehow remained focused on "task."

In retirement
He reflected upon a
UCLA education, military service, NAACP membership
A wonderful marriage, kind family,
And ceaseless courage.
Overall, he helped pay--
For our advancement.

He was an idol to millions
He was "alive"
He was baseball.

In the end . . .
          He overcame
              COLOR, SPACE, and TIME.