Ball Game, July 4th. | Grace Thornsbury

the children in the new stadium

don’t care how famous he is

as long as he signs their hats

in sharpie. i want to be

the boy collecting bats,

balls, ankle guards, and gloves.

perfect, fast, small enough

to get away with being slow.

let me disappear

in a chorus of young voices

chanting simple phrases,

clapping too quickly.

i want to dance with the fireworks,

unaware of my shoulders and ankles.

i want red ribbons in my hair,

and at least two cupcakes

in my belly. white sundress,

blue stripes and pink jelly shoes,

jello stained teeth, bugs

in my eyes. look how many sparklers

my dad can light at once!

i get just as many sparklers

as the other kids,

i spell my name with the light

in the air. nobody else can read it.

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Grace Thornsbury is currently completing her Bachelor's in English and hopes to pursue graduate education in literary studies and creative writing. At this moment, she might be doodling in the margins of her notes, listening to Taylor Swift, reading something confusing for classes, or trying to fall asleep instead of mentally drafting a poem.