Makin' Jump Shots by Michael S. Harper (1977)

He waltzes into the lane

’cross the free-throw line,

fakes a drive, pivots,

floats from the asphalt turf

in an arc of black light,

and sinks two into the chains.

One on one he fakes

down the main, passes

into the free lane

and hits the chains.

A sniff in the fallen air—

he stuffs it through the chains

riding high:

“traveling” someone calls—

and he laughs, stepping

to a silent beat, gliding 

as he sinks two into the chains.

Source: Poetryfoundation.org

Analysis 

This is a poem about a man's love of the game of basketball. I really enjoyed his vivid descriptions of what was happening. He described the situation that every little kid imagines as he dribbles a basketball up his driveway, faking out the invisible defenders, scoring the buzzer-beater shot to win the game. However, one thing I disliked about the poem was its repetition. It only described a speaker shooting a basketball 3 times. There could have been more emotion put into the poem describing how it made the speaker feel. 

The poem effectively uses imagery to describe the actions being performed. For example, with "He waltzes into the lane/'cross the free-throw line/fakes a drive, pivots," a reader with an interest in basketball is able to imagine the descriptions taking place. The tone of the poem is that of joy. Each stanza represents another basket that has been made. The author uses words such as "floats", "riding high", and "gliding" to give a tone of enjoyment. Each stanza ends with "the chains", describing the ball as it falls through the chains after a shot. Chains, on a basketball hoop, are usually only used outside--conversely, the inside hoops usually use nets. He also described the court as asphalt. This could mean the author enjoyed playing the game in a more casual setting, with friends, than a competitive setting. Anyone who has loved the game in a casual setting will experience a feeling of satisfaction, imagining themselves scoring as they hear the rattling of the chains. I believe this is what he wanted the theme of the poem to be. The enjoyment one gets from the casual game of basketball is easily reminded through something as small as the rattling of a chain. 

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