Mrs. Brickman

 

 

 

First memory,

Kindergarten, Mrs. Brickman,

show-and-tell, Tommie Agee baseball card

 

Holding it up, like a medallion

kids smiling, Agee smiling,

my moment in the spotlight

 

Later caught chewing gum,

Mrs. Brickman grabs collar,

shoves me into corner

 

Facing wall, alone, trembling

hands in pockets, searching for Tommie Agee,

my friend in the baseball card

 

Mrs. Brickman grabs collar, twists,

“Is this what you’re looking for?”

holds up the card, a medallion

 

She rips it in half, again and again,

then throws the pieces at me

 

First memory, kindergarten

 

Tears and Tommie Agee

 

Mrs. Brickman

copyright Frank Messina, 2008

from Full Count: The Book of Mets Poetry

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