(Ode To My Shoes)
You molded to my feet after a few days of
abusive stomping and running in circles.
I am never without you, I never forget you.
Like a warm coat on a winter's day.
You did not cost much, but you served such a purpose.
Shielding my tender feet from sharp thorns and glass.
I step through the doorway and kick you off.
I carefully lay you at the foot of my bed
and ignore you until we meet again.
When I need to go out to get the mail, take out the trash.
Just walk. When I want to be by myself, alone.
Thinking about life, and what's to come.
I slide you on, smooth transition from bare to there.
Tie you up and go.
You were there when my feet swam over the sharp rocks in the creek
You were there when I clambered up the hillside.
Smooth stones guiding my way up to the road.
As the sky darkened you met your enemy in dust and dirt and mud.
You continue to be loyal.
Your laces never fraying.
Your everlasting white shine seems never to fade.
And although your soul is worn through.
Your tongue does not speak ill against my carelessness.
At first, you were pure and plain.
But you were marked by those who wished to leave their mark,
and broken in with reckless abandon and senselessness.
With bold yet introverted statements strewn across your face,
you go everywhere I go. See everything I see.
Later on I will outgrow you. And throw you into the back of my mind. Without a care, without a last thought. I will replace you with a fresher
cleaner pair. And you will feel used and worthless.
I will toss you away, and never think of you again. But I will remember that time at the creek. And the autographs of friends, and the orange and green sharpie stained on your white glossy surface. And I will float back into urges. To slide you on so smoothly and go for a walk. Just to walk. Thinking about life, and what's to come.
