What is the central idea of the poem 'The Ball Poem' ?

Answer – John Berryman in his poem 'The Ball Poem' tells us about our reaction at some material loss. A boy loss his ball in the water. He is very upset at the loss of the ball. A ball does not cost very much and it is not even difficult to buy a new ball for the boy. The poet lets the boy experience his grief and learn to accept loss and responsibility; replacing the ball cannot restore its associated memories.