Darryl Strawberry Asleep in the Field of Dreams

<>This is probably my favorite poem of all-time. In college, it was the poem that first introduced me to modern poetry, and poetry that sounds like hip-hop, and poetry used to discuss a social problem. It also made me think about Field of Dreams, one of my all-time favorite movies, in a different way. I love it, and Paul Beatty remains one of my favorite writers.

I want to use it in my classroom sometime this unit, but am having a hard time with some of the references. Like, what is the reference in line 2 to creamed corn all about? I also don't really understand the lines, "got to wear sunglasses/so you can feel cool," nor the line about putting the "suicide squeeze on my mother's mother." Any other thoughts? Yes, I'm using you readers as a soundboard again.

I've got kids already doing mini-research projects on Shoeless Joe, Mel Ott, Pam Postema, Ty Cobb, Cool Papa Bell, and Josh Gibson.



Darryl Strawberry Asleep in the Field of Dreams
by Paul Beatty

they raised the price of dreams
blue inked can of del monte creamed corn
where baseball players
are reborn
in their prime
to play in modern day times
and not only was the ball white
shoeless joe jackson was white
his uni was white
all the dead white players was white
takin batting practice in white home uniforms
under white iowa clouds

I squirmed in my seat hopin for a
warm thunder storm
that would rain down cool papa bell
and hell would drip off corn stalk blades
pool into a homestead grey
inna a grey away uniform
flip down flip-up shades
and say hey now lets really play

<>got to wear your sun glasses
so you can feel cool but its only a movie
and in film school heaven is
where white doctors who played
only an inning and a half in the show
can pray for a tinker everlastin chance to groove the 0-2 sinker
white boys steady leanin in
truly believin this is the best movie they’ve ever seen
but none of em asked josh gibson to slo-dance
across the color line that
falls in an iowa ball field
broken but unhealed
fathers younger than their sons play catch
onna mismatch patch
natural grass and james earl jonezes broad ass
hollywoods black fat majesty
bellows…and people will come

black people smiled and fell in a single file
to pay to watch mel ott run through Fences
and put the suicide squeeze on my mothers mother
whose color
is the same
as the night game infield

…and the people will come

to see that black father to be
with scars on their knees
from shinbones split in half
and knocked off kneecaps
practice the rap dunks they will pump over their daughters n sons

…and the people will come

how could daughters n fathers build
wooden bleachers
just to sit and cheer male features
if umpire pam postema dies in the minor leagues
ty cobb’ll hook slide into heaven
and she’ll call him out
and he will get up dust himself call her a…
brush it off as a tease

is this heaven
no its iowa
is this heaven
no its harlem
is this heaven
no its bedrock
is this heaven
no its cabrini green
do they got a team
aint sure they got dreams
damn sure aint got a field
or crops that yield
is that sign for steal
I approach the third base coach
and ask is all the movies for real