A Story and a Half

[AlienFlower]

The long side faces north

with space round to chase and hide. I look up 

from behind by the red maple sprout 

or in front by the new oak, at the one and-a-half

story roof and shout

“Annie, Annie Over!” at a cloud,

feeling proud (can’t think why now) 

if my ball clears the roof pitch putting me into 

harm’s way—at once I’m fair game 

wherever they burst from, however they target

unless I slip through.

All those years ago with baby trees

and no autumn leaves.

Now the front yard fills

with taupe oak 

but the porch is all-over pink. 

In the downwind 

comes “Annie, Annie Over!” I look up 

to see the maple from the yard behind

shaking its leaves onto the front-facing shingles 

to perch,

assessing with more sense than I ever had, 

how and where best to land. 

[indar]

Pigtails!  Played this over the Harmon's garage roof. Story and a half might have been out of our league. What fun! I need good memories from what seemed simpler times just now.

[Dave]

Hey Jackie
I must confess, not knowing the game I am having my problems visualizing this. I can't make out the relative periods of time as the poem slips in and out of past and present in a way I am finding to hard follow. Some lines bleed the images into each other so that I search for some punctuation to help me orient:

'if my ball clears the roof pitch putting me into harm's way - what exactly puts me into harm's way here, the ball clearing the roof or the pitch?
And the closing lines - what perches and what has more sense than the N ever did? One of those poems that make feel a bit intellectually limited for not getting what are probably simple and obvious lines for others.

Nevertheless, so good to ahve your writing back here on the site.

Dave
 

[AlienFlower]

Oh dear! Dave, is this jargon? The last thing I want is to make a reader feel low! So, I need to include more about how the game works. Will work on that.

Linda, I read that you yell "Pigtail" if you want a second chance, and it sounds like you know about that, too. I don't think we did.

I know what you mean about the old days. One of the kids who came for candy on Halloween night was astonished that there was a candle in our jack-o-lantern—and that it was a real pumpkin. 

Thanks for your responses
Jackie