Weekly Poems: a Double From the 'Mets Poet'

Frank Messina, also known as the "Mets Poet," is the author of four books of poetry, including "Full Count: The Book of Mets Poetry," released in April, and "Disorderly Conduct," published in 2002. His poetry concentrates on larger themes -- love, struggle and war -- but he is best known for poems about baseball fanaticism, particularly for the New York Mets. "Most people don't think of baseball as a typical poetry topic, but it has everything in human nature that makes for great writing," Messina told the "New York Times in a 2007 profile":http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/nyregion/29poet.html. "It has victories and failures and struggles and angst." In time for the World Series, we present two of Messina's poems: **Apology to a Television Set** You have withstood long years of physical and verbal abuse inflicted by my own hands, tossed shoes, beer cans Chinese food containers and there were times I kicked and cursed, hoisted you over my shoulder and tossed you through the window but you came back delivering me good news; how great the team was doing, how it was only a matter of time we'd clinch the division but one night, with my mouth stuffed with beer, pastrami and vulgarity I once again turned on you, hoisted you over my shoulder and tossed you through the window but this time you were taken away by another man who tossed you into the back of a garbage truck, taking you to a place where broken dreams, failed seasons and abused television sets are buried for eternity **New Television Set** You're very lucky! The salesman from Sears bolted you to the wall and said it would take a very strong and angry person to rip you off the hinges, I think you'll be around a while, After all, we are seven games ahead of the Phillies with only seventeen games left to play   To learn more about Messina, visit his Web site, "www.spokeface.com":http://www.spokeface.com/.