In Class Starter Poem (All the new thinking is about loss)

Eating After Winning

By Natalie Frenette

All the new thinking is about loss.

Toby would sit at first base, looking at the fly swirling around his head instead of the fly ball falling from above.

So much at stake in this one glance upward.

Would he catch it or not?

Team members all looked at him simultaneously.

Hoping, wishing, praying that he could pull it together just this once.

Or so we thought.

The anxiety came to a head,

No one was worried about the score.

What really mattered to these boys?

The juice, and sandwich triangles waiting by Ms. Murphy’s side.

Who cares about losing, Toby surely didn’t.

He was only six years old.

They were supposed to be winners no matter what,

That’s what Ms. Murphy always told them, anyways.

The ball smashed into Toby’s head,

Knocking his Yankee’s cap loose.

Little Mikey stole home as Toby picked up the ball.

Tears came pouring from the proud parents in the crowd.

The ball sailed over the field into John’s glove.

“Safe!” Cried the umpire. “You, son, just won the game.”

Finally eating their victory snacks that Ms. Murphy brought them,

They thought to themselves,

Eating after winning was much more satisfying.

All the new thinking is about loss.

If you try your best and play your heart out, who needs to think about loss when winning is right in the palm of your hand?