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Tuesday, December 11, 2012

SLICE OF LIFE



Right now
I'm missing uniforms.
Those little colored t-shirts
with Denver Park and Rec on one sleeve
And  the name of a local insurance company
on the other.
I'm missing the uniform rainbow
Baby blue, maroon, green, orange
That marked our progression through the years.

 Right now
I'm missing uniforms
Basketball jerseys in
white, and black, and red,
hanging in the laundry room drying
the packed gym bag
that always went in the car first
on road trips to away tournaments
 checked and rechecked
"Are you SURE you have both jerseys- 
home and away?
You know you can't play if you don't have the jerseys."

Right now 
I'm missing uniforms
Yes, even hunting for uniforms
The slippery practice jersey
That seemed to be magnetically drawn
to the dark spaces behind the dryer
or the farthest corner of the closet
The blue webbed belts
and baseball socks
that always seemed to go AWOL 
on game days. 
The football mouthpieces
that I bought by the dozen.

Right now I'm missing uniforms
The fire-engine red jerseys
#15 and #26
standing shoulder to shoulder on the sidelines
The frantic search for my two favorite numbers
in the huddle
when a player got hurt 
and was laying on the field. 

Right now 
I'm missing uniforms
Silky black shooting shirts
Boys running out onto the court
banging chests
Laughing
then serious
Shooting shirts peeled off
Wadded, tossed aside
To be gathered after game time.

Right now
I'm missing uniforms.

7 comments:

Michelle said...

A true story told by a mother involved in orchestrating two boys in sports and lots of uniforms.

In the craziness of it all, you may wish the uniforms to be lost forever or not needing to be washed, again, right now. But then as time moves forward and those uniforms are no longer needed in such magnitude, I can feel that you are missing them. And your boys in the fast paced life of sports and transporting and rushing here and there and searching for those uniforms. This actually made me a little sad, moving from one phase of life occupied by sports and uniforms to an unknown future.

A simple slice packed with emotion that is about more than just uniforms.

Tara @ A Teaching Life said...

Missing uniforms...and the bodies they housed, now grown and far away...and missed. Motherhood is full of the bittersweet, I have come to believe.

Penny Jansen said...

wonderful poetry!

writekimwrite said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
writekimwrite said...

It was interesting how you used missing the uniforms for all the emotions you are feeling as your boys are growing up. It made me a bit wistful, too.

Nanc said...

I remember missing summer games the most, the sweaty smell in the gym and even the terrible refs. I loved the warm up songs and the pride of seeing my girl and then my boy playing their hearts out. It is a transition that is very difficult because of the joy we all felt together. Do the boys miss the jerseys too? Thanks for writing this Carol! XO

Linda B said...

Gorgeous way to show your feelings, Carol. It made me a little teary, too, for those sweet days of the uniforms, & the little moments you shared. I always thought it was great fun, to watch, to cheer! Thanks for bringing back some of my own memories, & hugs to you in these sad moments.