"The Ball of Earth and Heaven"
at Shea Stadium
Click here to listen to Richard Marx Weinraub read this poem.
Dad's explanation of the ticking "perv" in me: the irritation of the seventh nerve in me. My twitching left eyelid and lower right form one huge eye: the station of the God I serve in me. The #7 train beneath my seven hills: the agitation as the synapse swerves in me. I contemplate the end—the seventh seal—and note my off-key nation's anthem throws a curve in me. Uranus, seventh from the sun, is streaking towards my orbs—a Haitian bringing out the verve in me. The ball of Earth and Heaven bats till Kingdom come ejaculations of my father, Irv, in me.
Richard Marx Weinraub is a professor of English at the University of Puerto Rico. Wonder Bread Hill, his "sonovella" of 140 sonnets, was published in 2002.
For Slate's poetry submission guidelines, click spacerhereyeshyperlinkPoetry SubmissionsSlate reads new poems from Oct. 1 to April 30. Manuscripts sent between May 1 and Sept. 30 will not be considered.To submit poems: Send, as a single attached document, up to three poems of no more than 50 lines each to editors@slatepoems.com. Use the poet's name for the subject line of the e-mail and for the title of the attachment. We prefer Word documents (.doc or .docx) to PDFs.Please include a brief, professional cover letter, including publication history, in the body of your email. Please limit submissions to one per poet per annual reading period. Simultaneous submissions are OK. Slate no longer accepts poetry submissions by mail. The email address editors@slatepoems.com is for poetry submissions only (or to notify editors of acceptance elsewhere of a poem under consideration at Slate). Other inquiries, etc., will not be addressed.10000false220061444537PMWednesdayJanJanuary161/4/2006 9:45:37 PM63271989937000000020061444537PMWednesdayJanJanuary161/4/2006 9:45:37 PM632719899370000000.Clickhere to visit Robert Pinsky's Favorite Poem Project site.Click here for an archive of "Poet's Choice" columns from the Washington Post.


