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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"7th Game: 1960 Series" by Paul Blackburn captures the palpable excitement and communal spirit of a crucial baseball game, specifically the final game of the 1960 World Series between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Yankees. Blackburn's poem is a vivid snapshot of an October afternoon, where the collective attention of men on the streets, in bars, and across the city is riveted to the unfolding drama of the baseball game, highlighting the power of sports to unite and captivate. The poem opens with a serene setting, "sweet October afternoon," setting a contrast between the tranquil day and the intense focus and anticipation of the fans. Blackburn skillfully depicts the urban scene where men, with "eyes intent elsewhere" and "ears communing with transistors in shirt pockets," are engrossed in the game, their attention tethered to the fate of their teams miles away in Pittsburgh. This image of men walking the "sun-shot avenues" while mentally and emotionally engaged in the game underscores the profound connection between fans and the sport. The ambiance of the bars, "full, quiet," with "discussion during commercials only," further emphasizes the communal aspect of watching the game, as fans gather in shared anticipation and hope. Blackburn's use of fragmented lines and spatial arrangement on the page mirrors the scattered attention and the bursts of action and tension characteristic of watching a live sports event. The turning point of the poem, and the game it describes, comes with Bill Mazeroski's legendary home run: "The 2nd pitch he simply, sweetly / CRACK! / belts it clean over the left-field wall." Blackburn captures the sudden, electrifying moment that decides the game and the series, conveying both the simplicity and the magnitude of the hit through the layout and pacing of his lines. This moment is a culmination of the afternoon's tension and excitement, releasing the pent-up emotions of the fans. Blackburn's description of the aftermath, "Blocks of afternoon / acres of afternoon / Pennsylvania Turnpikes of afternoon," uses expansive imagery to convey the widespread impact of the game's outcome, stretching far beyond the confines of the stadium. The metaphorical "diamond stretches out in the sun" symbolizes both the baseball field and the precious, fleeting moments of glory and collective joy experienced by the Pirates' fans. The poem concludes with a somewhat playful, yet poignant directive to the defeated Yankees: "Yanquis, come home." This line serves as a reminder of the game's finality and the return to normalcy after the heightened excitement of the series. Blackburn's poem is not just a recounting of a baseball game but a meditation on the shared experiences and emotions that sports evoke, capturing a moment in time where the outcome of a game momentarily brings a community together in a shared narrative of suspense, joy, and disappointment.
| Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A POEM ABOUT BASEBALL by DENIS JOHNSON A BALLAD OF BASEBALL BURDENS by FRANKLIN PIERCE ADAMS BASEBALL?ÇÖS SAD LEXICON by FRANKLIN PIERCE ADAMS SANDLOT BASEBALL by WILLIAM MATTHEWS THE BOYS OF SUMMER by E. ETHELBERT MILLER JACKIE ROBINSON by LUCILLE CLIFTON BASEBALL: THE SEVENTH INNING: 1 by DONALD HALL BASEBALL: THE SEVENTH INNING: 7 by DONALD HALL |
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