Linda Kulp Trout

Thursday, March 20, 2025

Letter to a Bowling Ball



 

Dear Bowling Ball

Score tied.
Last frame.

I need a strike
to win the game.

Take a breath.
Check my stance.

Line you up.
Just one chance.

I send you flying
like a rocket

straight toward
the center pocket.

I think I might
get a strike

until
you decide
to take a right
                into
                       the 
                           gutter.

I thought I had you
in the zone,
but now I know--

dear bowling ball,
you have a mind 
of your own.

©Linda Kulp Trout

Like my bowling game, this poem is a work-in-progress. 😊

A big thank you to Rose for hosting today on her blog Imagine the Possibilities.

Have a great week!

24 comments:

  1. Oh dear, this sounds very familiar - my last attempt at bowling was at a work social, and that bowling ball seemed to have a mind of its own, too!

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  2. Tee hee! I love it. I'm sharing a work in progress this week too. Isn't that just like Spring? A work in progress!

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  3. Fun poem, Linda! I haven't bowled in years, but I always enjoyed it.

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  4. Great poem -- thanks for the smile today! Love the green bowling ball too. :)

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  5. This is a really fun poem Linda! I love how you used the line rearrangement to emphasize the feeling of the ball finding the gutter.

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  6. The unpredictability of a bowling ball is captured with clarity in your rhyming verse, Linda. An interesting take on this sporting action.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Alan. It sure is an unpredictable game!

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  7. That bowling ball's innocent face is PRECIOUS! You captured my bowling game in this poem.

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    Replies
    1. My bowling ball is not as innocent as it appears. : )

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  8. What a fun, snappy piece, Linda! I haven't bowled for a long time, but those bowling balls always ignored my wishes. :D

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Karen. They ignore my wishes too. : )

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  9. Great last line--those big-brained bowling balls have us fooled, don't they?

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  10. Hi, Linda! This is hysterical! I was a bowler growing up and stunk! Loved it. Thanks for sharing.

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    Replies
    1. I'm right there with you! I'm not a good bowler, but I do have fun with it!

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  11. Linda, I enjoyed your bowling ball antics. I never mastered bowling and I guess my bowling ball realized that. You had fun with this poem.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Carol. I've never mastered it either, and I think my bowling ball knows it too. : )

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