Description: I'm not really into minimalist poetry, but hell I'm the guy refuses to rhyme (most of the time, that ain't a crime). I'll try anything once.
I'm a firm believer that you never really understand someone unless you can walk for a while in their shoes. So, this seemed worth saying.
My Shoes -------------------------------------------
Take a walk in my shoes if you will
But take care not to stumble
For my feet are an unusual size
And your fit may be poor
A fine parable Steve... and an excellent play on the original phrase. Not much else to say except I enjoyed it, and that I think that this is a fine minimalist piece which holds a lot of truth... it has an ironic, witty and understated tone which works very well here.
Ahhh! Very good indeed! For not being too much into minimalistic poetry, you have done a wonderful job with this one. So much depth and direction in so few words and such a lesson in life can be learned from what you have said. You know, this is so true, and it takes a long time for us to figure it out. Nobody is perfect, we are only human and we are going to make mistakes. We are all different and we all think differently so decisions one makes that seem appropriate to them, may very well not be to others. Of course, circumstance plays a huge roll in all of this and that is where the shoes come in. It is so easy to judge someone by what is seen and known on the surface. And it is also so very wrong to do so. Until you have been there inside this persons life, you cannot fairly judge them. This is such a wise little poem you have here. The saying is well known, but the spin you have put on it with your unusual shoe size and the poor fit is most clever and really adds a lot of character to this write. Really good job. You never disappoint me!Take care.
Kind of reminds me of when I was small and Daddy's little girl. He would go to leave to go to a neighbours house or somewhere and I always wanted to be right there with him. Sometimes he would tell me he was in a hurry and I wouldn't be able to keep up with him. I would promise him I could and I wouldn't get tired. We followed an old dirt path and his shoes would make imprints in the gravel. I would stretch wide and walk in his prints trying so hard to only stay a few steps behind and would get so tired until he would end up piggy back riding me. This little poem just brought back a memory. Thankx!
this piece reminds me of one of the graetest poets from colombia. Mario rivero. simple but carrying a lot like one of rivero`s poems. check out one of mario rivero`s poems. the moon and new york
We met every day in the same place we shared poems, cigarettes and sometimes an adventure novel. We threw small stones from the bridge where the workers from the glass factory took their lunch. I told her that the earth was round my aunt a witch and the moon a piece of copper. That one day I would go to New York, the city where outlandish things happen all the time where vagabond cats sleep under the automobiles where there are a million beggars a million lights a million diamonds . . . New York where it takes ants centuries to climb the Empire State building and where the blacks stroll around Harlem wearing gaudy clothes selling shoe polish in summer I would go from restaurant to restaurant until I found a small sign: “Boy wanted to wash dishes. No college degree required.” Sometimes I would eat a sandwich I would pick apples in California I would think about her riding on the el and I would buy her a dress like a neon light . . . she was about to kiss me when the factory whistle blew.
i am a great fan of minimalism and you've done good here. interesting take on walking in someone else's shoes, of course they won't fit! this made me chuckle, thanks for the giggle! take care, @ Cat
This is an interesting take on the old saying. Indeed... Minimalistic, but leaving a powerful impact. Makes you think...
perhaps even trying to see something from someone else's view is not enough. The way we have grown ourselves may never allow us to have the proper insight into someone's situation. So we might stumble, in shoes that don't fit us, and not actually get to walk very far in them..
well I think you know what I'm getting at. I always enjoy reading your poetry, simple or not. Sometimes the simplest poems are able to bring forth a whole bunch of thoughts and reflections.
I think there is truth in this Steve. Sometimes it isn't very easy to understand someone unless you , as you say, can walk for a while in their shoes. After almost twelve years I'm still trying to explain this to my husband.
In this piece I believe you are talking about all the ups and downs you have faced in your life. Not just the normal ups and downs, but the kind that actually made your feet bleed, from the wear. If you can understand the concept I am getting at.
I will not claim to understand, for everyones "shoes" fit different, because afterall, we are all unique.
This was a very enlightening piece Steve. I think I will add this to my favorites, just to remind me that we are what we are, and you are truely differnt in your outlook on life.
mm.. yes minimalist.. nice tho.. could be expanded into something cool(er).. are you also one of those people that look at someones shoes when they are introduced?.. cos if so dont look at mine, if im even wearing any..
nice idea, it sparked an idea actually, might have a crack at this concept. thanx
Hey Steve, I liked this! I saw the title and thought, "My Shoes, I wonder what this is about?" You know, I always try to hold to that belief (although, sometimes I let myself down). I liked Shanu's idea of expanding it too :) Cheers, ~TD
Submission Name: My Shoes
Take care.