There was a birthday in the house today
which was celebrated promptly at midnight
with song
and candles
on some homemade cupcakes
which is a thing you do
when the kids are older
and they go to bed whenever
and the time of day
has lost all meaning
because it’s summer vacation
in a pandemic
 

and there was a pseudobrawl today
when a Dodgers pitcher headhunted
a couple Astros batters
which is a thing you do
when the Astros cheated you
out of a championship
three years ago
and you’re not allowed to fight
and it’s a warm summer evening
in a pandemic
 

and there was Dave Stewart on TV today
appearing on the A’s pregame show
appearing on the A’s postgame show
which is a thing you do
when your mom taught you to show up
when people are relying on you
even though his mother
who was 92 years old
passed away yesterday
on a sad summer day
in a pandemic
 

and there was a boring ballgame
at the Coliseum today
where the A’s used none of their best pitchers
which is a thing you do
when you overused those pitchers
to win a tough series against a rival
and so you hope your slumping batters
can come alive for one day
and slug you to an unlikely victory
but Khris Davis still isn’t Khris Davis
and you strand a bunch of runners
and you never really threaten the lead
and you kind of just go through the motions
and you lose 8-3
on a cool summer evening
in a pandemic