In the time of turmoil,
When no one knows where to turn,
Kabir says, Trust your heart, true fan,
On-base percentage, and long relief.

While lawmakers fret about the past,
Be like Mark McGwire, refuse to talk about it.
How can one profit from the past?
Unless one is Adrian Beltre, one cannot.

The AL West is clear to me:
Oakland shines like an oil slick in the Bay.
The Rangers and Angels will disappoint,
Seattle will surprise many people.

Expect the White Sox to repeat,
Despite their precarious bullpen.
Cleveland will hit a gang but will fade again,
Kabir says, and next year for Twins and Tigers.

Rising like an azure-breasted warrior,
Look for Toronto’s resurgence in the East.
The Red Sox will have a tough time,
The Yankees are ready for the qotir*.

In the league I love the best,
Turn attention to the West.
There, we see a new day for the Dodgers,
With San Francisco finishing .500.

The Cardinals will suffer a scare
When the Carpenter gets hurt in June;
Brewers and Cubs will make a charge,
September will be very exciting.

Loud music will drown all Queens
When the Mets finally win their division.
Atlantis** will long rue the day
It let Mazzone fly the coop.

As for the eventual championship,
Kabir says, the gaze is hazy.
We will know more soon enough.
Why the future? Why not the here and now?

Go to games and root for favorites!
Scan the Web for boxscores galore!
But never forget that one red flower
Means more than Zach Duke’s BABIP.***

*Qotir = A kind of ceremonial fork used during feast times. “Ready for the qotir” was a common phrase meaning “done.”

**Atlantis = Atlanta. Kabir often made this mistake…but was it really a mistake?

***Scholars have not decided the meaning of “one red flower.” This might be a reference to the poppy, and therefore opium; it might have sexual significance, or be a metaphor for menstrual activity; it might also refer to the third eye, to the inner mounting flame of devotion, or any number of spiritual phenomena. It might just be some red flower.

Kabir was a 15th century Indian mystic and seer, and a huge fan of the National League. His baseball poetry is available in a new translation by Vijay Chaganta.