Mickey Spillane was a favorite of my father's. As a child/teenager, I used to sneak them out of his closet and read the "racy" parts.'How to' books now
some classics
back when;
Grade school
Baseball hero stories
Buried myself in them
Willie Mays
The Mick
Joe DiMaggio
Jackie Robinson
Whitey Ford
Roy Campanella
Can’t readily recall the rest
Thing is…was….heroes were heroes
Some, against all odds
I could feel the crack of the bat, watch the ball get smaller and smaller
See Willie make that impossible catch, with ease
Talk about inspiration
No dirt
No scandal
Just amazing feats, on the diamond, and off the field
Those books turned me into an avid reader
High school begat Ian Fleming’s creation
And private eye adventures
Mickey Spillane was a fav
Then
Portnoy’s Complaint.....opened another world for me
I’m still of that world