We found a raspberry patch in full bloom

threw them into the brooding, balmy sky

turning raindrops into gumdrops.

The sweet drizzle stained our feet with purple sugar

until Old Man Sullivan caught us–

muddy but giggling.

Summertime sun was sepia-toned

sweltered in the fever of dysfunction back at home.

We would walk to Marathon parched and sticky with heat,

sipping our iced tea under pine trees.

Telling each other jokes and secrets we still keep today–

unsettled but serene.

My first homerun smelled like sunflower seeds and dirt.

I aligned my knuckles down my bat like stars and swung.

The ball climbed the sky

became a second moon.

I ran the whole way home–

eternal inside the sweet spot

Maxwell Nobis is a writer from Massillon, OH, but currently based in Akron, OH. He graduated from Kent State University in Spring 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts in English, where he completed his first short story collection, Oakwood. Currently, he is  working on his first novel.

Written by: marathonlitreview on July 26, 2021.