The pure essence of it was play My friends and I did it endlessly On the streets and in the forest Could see what was going on - despite the trees. When playing together, we did not act in jest or sport, nor did we behave carelessly, despite the occasional skinned knee, 'Mom, I'm bleeding again! ' We did have one rule, 'Minors only were allowed to play! ' And after a hard day's playing, We seem to have more energy Had a hard time falling asleep. Memories of sandlot baseball And photos taken by my dad Still hold on tight in my head But not so tight as to prevent Them from being remembered. '2008' RLS