The smoke was white.
Like the W flag, it signaled a victory
For Chicagoans.
Some say that Wrigley Field
Is a cathedral for those who
Believe in baseball as their religion.
Older Cubs fans lionized one Leo:
Durocher — manager, gambler, and author of
Nice Guys Finish Last.
Now we celebrate a more spiritual Leo.
The Vatican City’s conclave elected
Robert Francis Prevost as pope.
Residents of St. Louis say he was a Cardinal.
He grew up on Chicago’s South Side,
So, maybe he cheers for the White Sox.
He’s the first American leader of the Catholic Church,
So, a wag in the Bronx would be excused for saying,
“Lemme tell ya, Doc, da Pope’s a Yankee!”
But given that he roots for the world’s underdogs,
Pope Leo surely is a Cubs fan whose faith knows that
Nice Guys Finish First.