Still in Motion
From the bus in the gray rain through the streaked blurred window In the distance, in the clearing, in the asphalt, in the grass amongst the green furred trees and fuzzy grass A young man Shooting hoops in the rain cold against the warm air. He throws the ball, its orange merging into his bright blue sweater. All there is is green and orange and that blue, bluer than the darkened sky. In the dusky air, ball and body heavy with the rain, he perseveres. Alone. So many there beside him, this team of one. People waiting, elsewhere far away from this concentrated effort. The noises of the world die down, overcome by the boy who beats the ball against the asphalt hidden in the grass.
Ellen Jeanne Archer is a Bronx-based poet. She teaches students with autism at a special education Bronx high school. She has been writing poetry for over 20 years