April Fool's Poem

I wrote this poem as a class assignment in high school. I was a junior and at that point in time, only had head injuries in my life. My knee was not an issue. As you can see in this poem, it is a very creepy foreshadowing of my life in the future. Ironically enough, I had my first knee surgery the following year and broke my ankle in college. This was the last time I wrote a poem about future injuries :)

Written: May 15th, 2000

We were playing Mercer Island, and Newport softball was winning.
I was on third in the bottom of the inning.

The score was tied and the ball was in play.
I ran to home plate but a catcher was in the way.

I decided to slide as the ball was thrown.
My ankle went first and I heard a crack in my bone.

I rolled on the ground screaming in pain.
The trainer came out, it was only a sprain.

I sat on the bench as the game was played.
We ended up winning because of the score I made.

The next day was April Fool’s a perfect time of year.
“I’m off to the hospital” I told my coach with a tear.

I actually went home and laid in my bed.
My coach called later and this is what I said…

“My ankle is broken and surgery is Monday
I’m out for 8 months so no longer can I play.”

The paper called him later that night,
Wondering what happened and if I was all right.


He told the journalist what I had told him.
So the paper had a story for a writer named Tim.

Little did they know that I was teasin’,
The next morning the paper read, “Knights win game, lose Wood for season.”

Now everyone thought that I was done.
But it was just a sprain, I was simply having fun.

April Fool’s jokes are done for me.
But wait, maybe next year I’ll hurt my knee?