HEAVY and thick and long, Closely grained in the wood— Bearing the marks of battle, As a champion's favorite should— Marred where it crashed on the leather— Like the lines on a general's brow— This was the champion's bat— Where is the champion now? This is the bat that battered Speed and "straight ones" and curves— This is the bat that baffled Cunning and gameness and nerves— This is the bat that conquered Like the rush of a battleship's prow— This was the champion's bat— Where is the champion now? Black as night is the ashwood, Save where some ancient stain, Mark of a thundering base hit, Spots and crosses the grain— Swung long ago by a hero, Active and lithe as a cat— Where is the champion now? This was the champion's bat! Oil-spotted, polished and sanded How it was loved in the past, When the champion bore it to battle And his glory was spread on the blast! Then, but a cheer for the champion, Asking not when, why, or how—? This was the champion's bat— Where is the champion now? | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...NEW YEAR'S DAWN - BROADWAY by SARA TEASDALE WESTWARD HO! by CINCINNATUS HEINE MILLER THE BROOK; AN IDYL: THE BROOK'S SONG by ALFRED TENNYSON A LETTER by PHILIP JAMES BAILEY KNAPWEED by ARTHUR CHRISTOPHER BENSON |