Thirteen Ways of Looking at Shoes

Thirteen Ways of Looking at Shoes

i
shoes carry the world’s burdens.
in our time
few decisions that affect us all
are made by barefoot people.

ii
some people are like shoes.
you put them on
they fit
you smile.

iii
other people, like shoes,
can press you
hurt you
make you whimper.

iv
it’s not wise
to purchase shoes
on the Internet.
try them on first.
same with people.

v
some people
have many pairs of shoes.
others, only a few.
what’s important
is that they give you comfort.
friends are like that, too.

vi
as people age
they look for comfort
in a pair of shoes
and in their mate.

vii
when shoes wear out
on the inside
they are useless.
you should throw them away
even if, on the outside
they look fine.
when people wear out
on the outside
too often we throw them away
even though, on the inside,
they are beautiful.

viii
old people
may not wear
sexy shoes.
that doesn’t mean
they are not
on the prowl.

ix
people wear
different kinds of shoes
for different kinds of activities.
if you try to run
in 5” heels
you will fall.
if you try to tango
in steel-toed boots
you will step
on your partner.
resilience is a key indicator
of success.

x
shoes come in all colors
and sizes:
black
brown
yellow
white
red
big
small
wide
narrow.
diversity offers more choices.
that’s a good thing.

xi
if your shoes are too big
you may stumble.
if you are too big for your shoes
you will crash.

xii
shoes have their own
stories to tell.
they protect us
on our journey through life.
choose them with care.

xiii
don’t be afraid
to go barefoot
from time-to-time.
your shoes won’t mind.
touch Earth Mother
honor her
with your gratitude.

 

Image: Vincent Van Gogh
Wikipedia Commons
Labeled for non-commercial reuse.

Today, for dVerse Meeting the Bar, Bjorn has us pretending to be cubists, using words rather than art media. I went through a spell years ago in which I wrote a number of poems based on Wallace Stevens’ Thirteen Ways of Looking at Blackbirds. For the moment, I’m sharing one of these that had been originally posted in 2011…so it’s been a while. I hope to come up with something new later today. Mine do tend to lean toward philosophical reflections rather than pure imagism.

Try it–it’s fun.

 

artichoke wisdom

Image: Danny Gregory
Used with permission
Thank you!

i

people are like artichokes

difficult

sometimes prickly

but if one is willing

to take the time

to make the effort

the best part is deep inside

ii

take it one succulent leaf at a time

use it to transport flavor into your life

then throw away the dross

iii

take your time

to get to the core

or you may miss something

on the way

iv

artichokes have color

texture

layers

like people

or poetry

v

each artichoke is unique

but in a field

it can get lost in the crowd

if you don’t take time

to look carefully

vi

an artichoke can seem strange

if you didn’t grow up with them

like i did

vii

if you have a bad experience

with an artichoke

you may want to avoid them

i found a fly once

and didn’t eat another for years

i regret it

don’t judge all artichokes

based on one bad one

viii

when you get to the heart

of an artichoke

take time to savor

 

Linked to Gabriella’s prompt at dVerse Poetics, based on the art of Danny Gregory. Thank you, Danny for allowing us to use your work.

The pub opens Tuesday at 3:00 EST.

 

 

 

 

 

Shoes–dVerse Poetics

Photo: thinkoutsidethebin.com

Shoes

i
shoes carry the world’s burdens.
in our time
few decisions that affect us all
are made by barefoot people.

ii
some people are like shoes.
you put them on
they fit
you smile.

iii
other people, like shoes,
can press you
hurt you
make you whimper.

iv
it’s not wise
to purchase shoes
on the Internet.
try them on first.
same with people.

v
some people
have many pairs of shoes.
others, only a few.
what’s important
is that they give you comfort.
friends are like that, too.

vi
as people age
they look for comfort
in a pair of shoes
and in their mate.

vii
when shoes wear out
on the inside
they are useless.
you should throw them away
even if, on the outside
they look fine.
when people wear out
on the outside
too often we throw them away
even though, on the inside,
they are beautiful.

viii
old people
may not wear
sexy shoes.
that doesn’t mean
they are not
on the prowl.

ix
people wear
different kinds of shoes
for different kinds of activities.
if you try to run
in 5” heels
you will fall.
if you try to tango
in steel-toed boots
you will step
on your partner.
resilience is a key indicator
of success.

x
shoes come in all colors
and sizes:
black
brown
yellow
white
red
big
small
wide
narrow.
diversity offers more choices.
that’s a good thing.

xi
if your shoes are too big
you may stumble.
if you are too big for your shoes
you will crash.

xii
shoes have their own
stories to tell.
they protect us
on our journey through life.
choose them with care.

xiii
don’t be afraid
to go barefoot
from time-to-time.
your shoes won’t mind.
touch Earth Mother
honor her
with your gratitude.

This is a poem I wrote a while back, along the line of Wallace Stevens’ 13 Ways of Looking at Blackbirds. Today’s prompt at dVerse Poetics, offered by Shanyns, invites us to consider shoes so I couldn’t resist succumbing to my post-Thanksgiving stupor and sharing it today.