Page 9
By Jack Joseph Smith
As a halfback I knew early
how to punch holes in the
dark.
Rectory Night Practice
By Jack Joseph Smith
Original Scan
AI Interpretation
Football knowledge is recast as a lesson in how to force passage through darkness.
The page is short, but it does real symbolic work. `halfback` and `Rectory Night Practice` anchor the line in Catholic-school athletics, while `punch holes in the dark` turns practice into a larger method for moving through fear or obscurity.
Two lines and a title: the boyhood halfback has learned `how to punch holes in the dark`, and the title `Rectory Night Practice` fuses Catholic schooling with after-hours athletics. The page is essentially a seed for a longer piece.