 |
| Shine (sculture) by Willie Cole |
This is a poem for the forgotten,
down trodden, over worked & abused,
relegated to closets, locked
in car trunks or just tossed
aside when not being used
shoes
we, the unthoughtful pull
the tongue back, forcefully violate
your mouth with our feet (when
not busy putting them in our own-ouch)
walk all over and drag you through
shit, gum & dirt, stuck on
when she arrives home from work
i free her feet, the same i have drilled
to relieve, en pointe, pressure, still
calloused from years of abuse
all for the sake of dance, now
just different
the weight of her soul rests
in my palm, nimble fingers run along
arch, heel & toes, firm to slip knots,
yet gentle until stress puddles
in oily mess on the living room carpet
shoes, i see you watch, jealous
of inattention, please accept my
gratification
for as every boy scout knows
when you go exploring, good shoes
will save you and if you want to
light a fire, you must start from the bottom.
Today, I am hosting Poetics at d'Verse Poets Pub at 3 pm EST, where we are seeking inspiration from U2, Willie Cole and what's on our feet.
Posts
79 comments:
i love the creative twist to the shoes (and feet)... sturdy and dependable shoes indeed will save you. i sometimes i think you invent the words (own-ouch) *smiles*
interesting prompt for later ~
Love it...from shoes to foot massage...the way to a woman's heart?
Hi! Brian...
Thanks for the link...because I change the images with each feature over there at d"Verse...Cont...
Your last verse would light a fire in anybody - providing they'd read your previous ones properly! LOL! O, for a foot massage...
Brian said,"This is a poem for the forgotten,
down trodden, over worked & abused,
relegated to closets, locked
in car trunks or just tossed
aside when not being used
shoes..."
Brian...I would have to say that your poem have "touched the very ["soul"] ["sole"] Of what [some?!?} people wear on their feet.
Thanks, for sharing the beautiful sculpture by artist Willie Cole too!
deedee ;-D
ha ha just fabulous
That is some graphic picture. I know my shoes love it when I pay attention to them and don't forget them. They treat me really well!
Love this! Oh, our poor downtrodden shoes (and the tired feet within). But, a massage...ah! Suspect many a fire has been kindled by a simple footrub...
love the message.. and that last stanza is powerful.. niceee. very creative man!
Wow really shouted out the shoes
Now they shouldn't have any blues
Especially with that foot massage you gave them too
Nice job adding some rhymes too
Now even when they go through the dirt and muck
They'll be happy and no longer give a...hmmm...wish you bad luck..haha
I LOVE SHOES.... well done dude :)
Ha! Light that fire! Just don't blow smoke...blush again! I was feeling sorry for the shoes...until you started rubbing it in (pun intended!) Awesome prompt, Brian! I took a jaunt down memory lane that involved my mother! And yes...it's all your fault! Was indeed worth waiting for, Poet!
start from the bottom - nice
so much sole here...
ouch
I love Willie Cole's shoe mask
Thanks for lauding that underated piece of apparel that covers that underrated part of our body that we put through soooo much, Da feet!
Great lines Brian and so creative as always. Especially liked "we, the unthoughtful pull
the tongue back, forcefully violate
your mouth with our feet (when
not busy putting them in our own-ouch)
walk all over"
Feelin' it all the way down to my toes. Gay
As well as appreciating the aesthetics of this piece im also a foot man, so Bravo Brian. Nice job.
That was an interesting twist of words on shoes.It was cleverly done.
Enjoyed the layers of insoles/insouls you've cushioned in this, Brian. This is a bit cliche, but shoes do tell a story. I'm at the point in life when I'm happiest in my Nike's.
we, the unthoughtful pull
the tongue back, forcefully violate
your mouth with our feet
What an image!
David
Ha! Great ending ... made me smile. Nothing like a good foot rub. So clever.
Nice job, with some tenderness in there too (although not for the shoes!) Thanks for a great prompt!:)
Have I told you lately that you are brilliant?
Great poem, thanks again for the prompt.
Ahh my favorite line Brian "the weight of her soul rests
in my palm..." gorgeous!
Another fractured fairy tale love poem, my friend. I love the way you do those. The image of starting from the bottom, the soul in your hand, all of it just works really well. And seriously also, just with a little attractive whimsy in the mix.
yup. this dry brown grass is making my feet itchy, so it's shoes this summer.
Boy, we work those old dogs hard - and I don't mean feet, I mean shoes. I like the shift in perspective from shoe to foot, and your opening stanza had me thinking about shoe-abuse: taking it by the toe and swatting an intrusive insect.
I never thought about the shoe's perspective. Good one, Brian.
Brian, I love this! :)
Now, I want a foot rub!
Terrific. Good shoes are definitely a necessity! Your poem comes straight from the sole!
"the weight of her soul rests in my palm" - that is a terrific line. And, of course, you have a great ending here, too. Sounds as if you are a good boy scout :)
Love the ending, but the whole piece is a strange journey...
good stuff.
Fabulous journey ---- I love these lines:
'shoes, i see you watch, jealous
of inattention, please accept my
gratification'
thank you for the prompt too.
You can pretty much tackle any topic and make it shine.
very clever, Brian. thanks for the smile.
Well written. A lot of great word choice. We went in similar directions at some points, but diverged at others. Glad I didn't read any before I started. :-)
This is terrific!
Excellent prompt, and dissertation - as I've always believed, poetry can take the ordinary and uses it to make you look at the world in an extraordinary way.
I like that last line.
This is such a fun sculpture to look at and your words just bring it to life! Thank you for all the foot massages you give me, love. And for all the drilling of toes in my dancing days....ahh the things you do for love!
This is such a fun sculpture to look at and your words just bring it to life! Thank you for all the foot massages you give me, love. And for all the drilling of toes in my dancing days....ahh the things you do for love!
Very amusing....and thoughtful
Really liked this--from the start, describing the use and abuse of shoes, to the sensual switchover to massage and caress of the feet. Last four lines, a perfect moral to this story
'or as every boy scout knows
when you go exploring, good shoes
will save you and if you want to
light a fire, you must start from the bottom'
Yessiree!!
Thanks for sharing this one!
Oh how we take them for granted as if they have no soul.
Hi Brian,
One can never have too many shoes or foot massages and putting ones foot in their mouth is fairly easy for some of us. It is keeping it out that is hard to do.
A few years ago I discovered Crocs and I now compare all of my shoes to the comfort they provide. It is amazing how a pair of uncomfortable shoes can ruin your whole day, while a good pair makes one relax and enjoy it.
I could just see you giving your wife a wonderful foot massage and I know a good pair of shoes is important for her, but I could also see you standing there amazed at watching her dance in her dance shoes. I can imagine those images are still vivid in your heart and will be there forever. Love does things like that.
God bless.
I always appreciate your abstract interpretations in prompt and this is no exception. Loved it ~ Rose
We too often take shoe for granted...and having a boy scout son...he learned the importance of good hiking shoes....and has since taught me a thing or two about them...bkm
What a wonderfully creative point of view!
Nothing like sore feet to affect your mood!
What an inventive poet you are, Brian. Seem to remember you from Poetic Asides?
The shoes on the dancer's feet have every right to be jealous, as they get only the pressure of the pointed toe; the stuffing into the backpack. Her feet, though, deserve every tender caress, for the dancer suffers for art more than almost anyone. Amy
http://sharplittlepencil.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/after-all-abc-weds/
'the weight of her soul rests
in my palm' ... how wonderful.
Oh wow I loved this. Life of a shoe and what they go through. Different smells and sizes as well.
stress puddles
oh how great if your stress can puddle to the floor. Love that fantastic picture to start of with. Great piece of art
Wonderful. I would have loved to hear you read this around in a real poet's pub.
The humor in this piece stands out. Nice use of prompt!
Your write-up equals the excellence of the pic...wow Brian
cool poem I really liked it and a fascinating sculpture ....thank you
Not easy to anthropmorphize shoes, but you did it! And ode to the shoe..I loved it!
Ok... I'm gonna treat my shoes better from now on. Great view point.
Ha! Such wisdom to be gained from the contemplation of shoes...
That last line is the clincher!!
You amaze me still... as you write about shoes.
I love the tone that the first stanza sets- witty with something to ponder. This is wonderful!
aeria
Something different! :) Loved it :D
With women's shoes, particularly, the abuse is often mutual!
Love this piece. the meshing of sounds, right into one another, breaking free starting off a new word from the previous words end, at least that's how I read it, wonderful delivery
Wonderful metaphors here. And now I'm craving a foot massage!
And my husband wonders why I need so many shoes. After reading this, I'll try to respect them more. I loved this.
Wonderful play on words and you sure make us feel that stress puddling---nothing quite like a foot massage. Clever photo prompt, Brian.
What a clever perspective--I really enjoyed this!
i think i have a few pairs of those, great poem Brian and i love this photo
*the weight of her soul rests
in my palm"
Love that line!
Your wife is well-loved!
Awesome poem!
Brilliant.
I feel like a neglectful shoe lady. LOL I love it!
Hoo-wee!
;)
really like how you establish the light-hearted nature of this with 'shoes' as they second graph, rhyming as it does.
I would rather go barefoot. But I too wear shoes. Comfortable ones though.
Wow, you wrote a poem about shoes. Is there nothing you can't write about? :-)
Post a Comment