At first a mist, refreshing from the Tennessee heat.
At first.
And now sheets and sheets of rain unending,
descending from the ominous sky.
Hiding beneath the tiny dugout intently watching all the coaches,
yank the huge tarp across the field.
Tarps are helpful for the infield,
but the outfield becomes a lake.
Puddle after puddle.
No playing now, time for food
and waiting to see what will come of this storm.
To be continued...To be continued...
Two hour rain delays are the best.
Or not.

Tie game.
Two runners on.
One out.

I feel my body leap into action,
I fly across the outfield.
My cleats grab the ground,
I push harder against the earth with every step.
“Get off the base! It’s DROPPING!”
I hear the third base coach of the other team screaming.
¨Not in my outfield. All or nothing right now.”
I think as I dive to steal the ball out of the air.
My uniform sopping with mud,
grass stains from my socks to jersey.
My uniform sopping with mud,
grass stains from my stocks to my jersey.
¨There´s one out, where´s the other?¨
A conversation in my head never stops.
Raised seams under my fingertips, gripping the ball fiercely.
My knees push into the soggy ground beneath me,
with all I had,
I threw the ball to first.

The game changer. The double play.

Our parents flipped out, everyone went crazy.
There is a whole new attitude of our team,
as everyone runs towards me.
A giant bear hug.
Our parents flipped out, everyone went crazy.
There is a whole new attitude of our team as everyone runs towards me. 
Cheering and hope filled the field, we all knew we are going to win.
**
The desire to succeed needs to be stronger than the fear of failure.