A swing, a crack, a distant cheer—
and suddenly, the heart of Boston skipped.
The Babe departs, a trade sealed in shadow,
And history twists its knife for decades.
Crowds gather at Fenway,
Eyes scanning for signs of hope,
But luck wavered like the tide,
The ghosts of 1919 lingered in the stands.
Pitchers threw with sweat and prayer,
Fielders dived in desperation,
And every pop-up, every strikeout,
Felt like an echo of curses whispered.
New legends rose and fell,
Ted Williams, Carlton Fisk, Nomar Garciaparra—
Names bright, but the shadow remained,
A specter of an old decision,
The Bambino’s absence humming in the rafters.
Then came 2004, October’s breath held tight,
A comeback stitched in miracle and fire,
Game 7 won, the curse undone,
The city erupted, tears and cheers mingling,
Fenway exhaled for the first time in generations,
And Boston could finally believe again.
-
Author:
Matthew R. Callies (
Offline) - Published: May 28th, 2026 08:51
- Comment from author about the poem: This poem is about the Curse of the Bambino a superstitious sports curse in Major League Baseball derived from the 86-year championship drought of the Boston Red Sox between 1918 and 2004. The superstition was named after Babe Ruth, colloquially known as "The Bambino", who played for the Red Sox until his contract was sold to the New York Yankees in 1920. For more context visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_the_Bambino
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 7
- Users favorite of this poem: Tristan Robert Lange
- In collections: Sports Poetry.
Offline)
Comments2
A poem of baseball history well written in poetic form. Well done
Matthew, even as someone who isn’t a Red Sox fan, I can feel the emotional weight of this. The poem captures how sports stories become larger than sports themselves…turning into shared myths, heartbreaks, and ultimately redemption. Strong work, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️
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