Matthew Johnson

The Soundtrack of Summer

The radio booth picks up indistinguishable chatter
Between bantering broadcasters
And the sound of pitches hitting the back of the catcher’s mitt;
Off-speed throws pop softer than the ones that come from fastballs.
A demonstrative home-plate umpire makes a call on a full count.
A roaring pitcher replies with a yell, followed by a groaning crowd.
The sound system plays the opening lyrics to the song of the banana boat.
The crowd responds to the call, as if conditioned from previous games,
And it joins Harry Belafonte with the chorus in a swell.
Daaaayy-O. Daaaayy-O.

Matthew Johnson is a four-time Best of the Net Nominee and one-time Pushcart Prize nominee who has written Shadow Folks and Soul Songs (Kelsay Books) and Far from New York State (NYQ Press). He has a forthcoming chapbook scheduled for a late 2024 release through Finishing Line Press. His poetry has appeared in Front Porch Review, London Magazine, The Maryland Literary Review, Maudlin House, Roanoke Review, Up the Staircase Quarterly, and elsewhere. He is a former sports journalist and editor who wrote for the USA Today College and the Daily Star in Oneonta, NY. He is the managing editor of The Portrait of New England and the poetry editor of The Twin Bill. His website is https://www.matthewjohnsonpoetry.com/