I don't play ball anymore

I don't play ball anymore

upon my brother's chest
fall the incongruent tears of

what was it the minister called it

oh yeah, that's right

a grateful nation.

I asked my brother once 

what do those people look like over there.

they look like us 
serenity is surrendered to squalor
respect is held in the curl of my forefinger 
honeyed skin is baked ripe for adjudication  
all walk a sand silted plank in the delta. 

the minister says he died bringing justice to the world 

yet his body is dressed and boxed 
with the same ceremony as a baseball game

same damn song too
but somehow I've forgotten the words.