This is my idea of what goes through the mind of a youngster when they are in their yard playing sports. I wrote this in the late 1990s, so the actual athletes might be a little dated, although its hard to imagine anyone not knowing who "Michael" is, for instance. Actually the first few lines of the song "I Wanna Be Like Mike" inspired the title. I wrote this at the time of the USA's 1999 World Cup championship run, hence the last few lines. But they should remind us that dreams of ahtletic glory are no longer just for boys, which may not be all that bad

I dream that he is me

Sometimes I dream that the

whole world's eyes are on me.


I throw a baseball in the air.

Sometimes it goes a mile onto

Waveland Avenue or Big Mac Land,

Both our neighbor's back yard.


I see myself soaring through the air,

just like Mike.

Or shooting two for IU

stopping to turn on the

Assembly Hall lights in our garage.


On a clear, crisp autumn day,

I grab the football and start to run

making my way through a pack of invisible linemen.

I am Peyton, Emmitt, Unit,

Elway, Shaq or Maddux,

Or even someone really neat,

I am that big kid down the street.


Sometimes I see that spotted ball,

I dream that I am streaking down the

field, guiding the ball with my feet,

I aim for a net of picket fence,

I run, I kick and it goes through.

Sometimes I dream

That she is me.