Now Teddy Now Poem by Stanley Cooper

This poem was written for my boyhood friend Ted who was, at the
time, fighting terminal cancer


Bases loaded, count is three and two
“Now, Teddy, Now” from short yells Lou
“Now, Teddy, Now” from left shouts Stan
Strike him out Ted. Let’s get this man

“Now, Teddy, Now” those fielders did shout
“Now, Teddy, Now” lets get that last out
Come on Ted, give him your nifty
A grounder to Lou or fly ball to swifty

Put fear in the batter was our main endeavor
A time at bat he’d remember forever
A secret weapon from our pre-game planned powwow
The hearty cheer was, “Now Teddy, NowTeddy, Now Teddy, NOW!

The guy at the plate, this once fearless hitter
Tensed up at the cheer, and looked for Ted’s spitter
We psyched him out good, and he never knew how
T’was our secret weapon, “Now, Teddy, Now”

A softball team though made up of nine
Needs something extra to keep the team fine
Three birds of a feather were Ted, Stan and Lou
They were the threesome that was the team’s glue

“Now, Teddy, Now” is one for the ages
From Lou, Ted and Stan, those three teenage sages
It’s not just for softball, but for use in life somehow
We three should keep shouting, “Now Teddy, Now Teddy, Now Teddy
NOW! ”