Rothmans Kings

Four burly boys with furry lips Gripping four mugs of mud The redhead bends an eyebrow when every crack lands with a thud Every napkin is full with Xs and Os and intersecting lines With 3-4s, 4-3s, Nickels and Dimes On the fifth refill since sunset Whispered details get spotty "He might still be out there somewhere. Well, I didn't see no body" Thought I saw you there Smoking on the sidelines Must just be time Playing tricks on my mind In the stands with a can from the canteen, the kid was last seen with some man no one knew As the panic poured over a scoreless fourth quarter, coach choked down the horrible truth With one straight arm steering Blue Voyager Peering at the parks through amber shades He's got a head full of legends, two names he won't mention, and one game he wished never got played Thought I saw you there Smoking on the sidelines Must just be time Playing tricks on my mind In a year there's just three And one switched to tea The redhead retired And the devil runs free Inside the rookies, the lifers, an affine cypher, the fading memory of an ill-fated father, and me.