Before long

I’ve been in this slump for too long and counting

There’s an error within me, somewhere

From the moment my eyes blink open

I strike out

And can’t move past that action for hours

My dreams ride a dugout through crystal rivers

It’s an overnight windup

Only to wake up

On the cold, hard mound

Called reality

I can see the diamond

Up ahead

Yet, with every step I take

There’s a catch

And the score regresses

Is this batter meant to break?

Or rather to balk

In the face of withdrawal

Setting a new pitch

Forbidding the ball to be dropped again

I’m eager for a shift

Where a new lineup is ready

And patterns are broken

So my plate may serve life

Fully and wholly