Read the excerpt from “how i learned english.” so it was not impossible that i, banished to the outfield and daydreaming of water, or a hotel in the mountains, would suddenly find myself in the path of a ball stung by joe barone. i watched it closing in clean and untouched, transfixed by its easy arc before it hit my forehead with a thud. this excerpt is part of the poem’s exposition. rising action. falling action. resolution.