Around my head, the women high and low
Whisper of Joe DiMaggio;
Of marriages and cash, and reasons why
But never a mention of Grand Slams and RBI.
Of ragged uniforms with tattered zipper,
But never why they called him "Yankee Clipper".
In thirteen years of various human fame
In nearly two thousand baseball games
Went to bat six thousand, eight hundred times
Made thirteen hundred runs, each one a little lifetime
Lifting and falling until over.
But this, the women seem to understand:
In 1951 Joe earned one hundred grand.
Batted .325 for thirteen years
And whispered in Marilyn Monroe's shell-like ears
If only for a while; this last
Always makes the women smile.