Walking along Market Street on the evening of Oct. 15, you may have wondered what exactly all the popcorn and gesticulation was about behind the glass at the National Museum of American Jewish History. That was baseball-themed poetry.

As part of a pop-up poetry partnership with Temple University’s theater department, students and poetry fans alike gathered to listen to the spoken word. The theme coincides with NMAJH’s current exhibit, “Chasing Dreams: Baseball and Becoming American,” which celebrates the sport’s ability to bring so many people together and craft an American narrative.

Throughout history, baseball was transformed from a divided sport to one with the opportunity to overcome religious, ethnic, racial and gender boundaries. Poems pointed out that the game has come a long way, from Jackie Robinson to Mo’ne Davis. With rhythm and rhyme, students weaved stories of baseball experiences, touching on family and personal relationships, admiration for heros and legends, and even musing about never joining little league.

“There’s something about this game that ties us all together,” said Temple University performance poetry professor, Kimmika Williams-Witherspoon. “So we wanted to bat around poems about baseball.”

The museum’s pop-up poetry events take place on the first floor in the café, which is always free and open to the public. The museum’s traveling exhibition is scheduled until Oct. 26, 2014.