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I was in a box
which was my bedroom
with the door closed
The rest of my family
was doing
whatever they did
after dinner
The phone on my desk rang:
It was Willie Mays
I would have been less excited
if God himself
was on the phone
(Unless God was offering
tickets to a Giants game)
Willie knew that my sixth birthday
was six days away
It was May 12, 1955
"Willie, you hit a home run
off of Johnny Klippstein
"What kind of pitch did he throw you?"
"It was a fastball,
low and outside,
just how I like it."
"Low heat and a big blast."
But then the door opened
and my father saw me on the phone
Instead of instantly shutting the door,
he lingered, laughed,
and then the shut the door
It shattered my excitement
The flatline truth was
that this was NOT Willie Mays
on the phone
It was my Uncle Tony
but I played along
and the last laugh was mine
"Willie, do you know
that my Father hates his brother Tony?
"Do you think you can give him a call?"
Before Willie could answer,
I told him I had to get
off the phone because
I was expecting a call
from Zsa Zsa Gabor
Not bad for a six-year-old
***
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Footnotes
THE NIGHT I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL
FROM WILLIE MAYS
is the copyrighted property
of LCSoL
This page is dedicated
to my Uncle Tony
and Aunt Linda
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