November 16, 2011 Sox To See New Park, A Poem by Bill Littlefield
As part of the celebration of HBI’s 50th birthday and Fenway Park’s 100th, honorary guest, Bill Littlefield read the following poem. It was a big hit, and so we thought that we would share it with you all here.
Sox To See New Park
Tear down the Coliseum;
It’s beat-up and out of date.
It’s pitted and old and windy and cold
And thoroughly second rate.
Put up a 12-screen multiplex,
With a lobby as bright as the sun.
Surround it with acres of parking
For convenience, and for fun.
Sell the space that’s left to fast-food joints,
As much as they’re willing to buy.
In the litter and noise that follow,
We won’t hear the old ghosts cry.
Spray paint the Sistine Chapel
In contemporary tones.
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| Some of the Red Sox Ephemera on display at the HBI 50 Year Celebration |
Don’t worry at objections from
The purists, or the bones
That stir and rattle sadly in
Confusion at the loss
Of something that was worship-worthy:
Fine, but, finally, dross.
Fill in the old Grand Canyon;
Dig a deeper one next day,
With access to the interstate
Much closer to L.A.
If people come, it’s worth it,
Crass as that remark may sound;
A hole’s a hole, no matter where,
No matter in which ground.
And when we build the new one
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| Photo courtesy of the Boston Public Library |
We’ll supply it with a bubble,
So folks can see it, rain or shine,
Sans mud or other trouble,
And instead of riding mules to reach
The river at the bottom,
We’ll put in elevators made of glass?
(The Hyatt’s got ’em!)
And motel rooms with cable
And Jacuzzis will await
All those who ride on down the rock,
Like so much lazy freight.
Like so much lazy freight.
The argument is money, and
The argument’s compelling;
The bottom line for baseball is –
And has been – ticket selling.
And the Red Sox will make money if
They tear down Fenway Park,
And replace it with a pleasure dome
That’s never cold or dark.
Perhaps that’s all we know and all
We need to know as well:
It is not truth and beauty,
It is only buy and sell.