Jack Purcells

Flat bottoms

A rubber strip on the toe, blue, of course, a line I

Couldn't jump.

I took to the Thom McAn 4.99 fakes

And felt my childhood pounding up from the asphalt court

Through the imitation outsole

With each split step

Ready at the net

Already knowing good enough and who we were and

Why I’d cry.

Ken Been’s poetry has been published or is forthcoming in numerous journals internationally. Recent placements include Aethlon Journal of Sports Literature, The Brussels Review, The Primer, Dunes Review, Kelp Journal and Nova Literary-Arts Magazine. His poem, “Self-Portrait in Tennis: The Art of the Backhand Slice Against a Tennis Wall,” was featured in Lit Magazine in 2024. His work also can be found in many other publications in print or digital issues. Ken is from Detroit, where he has been playing tennis for about 65 years.