Totally Optional Prompts wants us to write about places
sun beats down on my back
tarpaulins has holes, i barely notice.
my wares are placed haphazardly,
right in front of me.
nails, polish, strings, leather,
plastics with solutions of various hues.
disarrayed shoes, clogs, sandals
lie in wait to be renewed.
i might stay at the same place
for forty odds years now,
repairing broken, torn down shoes
soles reattached, fixed with glue.
stayed, i have not in one place, shoes
do have tales to tell of places visited.
Good one, Gautami. And perhaps the same could be said about tattered souls.
ReplyDeleteI like how the stasis is undermined in the last stanza.
ReplyDeletethis reminds me very much of markets in Malawi.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 8 my teacher gave us all a book called "A Hole Is to Dig" and it was full of sentences like, "mashed potatoes are so everyone has enough."
ReplyDeleteThis fits into that - shoes are for visiting.
And more. Nice.
Nice spin on place. I always enjoy your work but this is one of the betterest;-)
ReplyDeleteThere's something very spiritual about repairing worn out shoes - repairing soles/souls. I love this.
ReplyDeleteA pair of shoes always tell you, don't they
ReplyDeletebut one thing is that they can always be misleading.
Oh I liked this!
ReplyDeleteit makes me feel as if he has at last become willing to accept the tales of others as his own travels... very nice....
ReplyDeleteThe title is perfect for this layered piece. Very nice!
ReplyDeleteReminds me of that boots are made for walking song. The soles reattached image is nice, as Don says.
ReplyDeleteI love your focus on such an ordinary object. But shoes can tell you a lot about a person.
ReplyDeleteBravo! Bravo!
ReplyDeleteLove it!
Very creative and thought provoking....
Jerry in Tampa
shoe tales! what a great concept. Perhaps you will write a poem about one of them?
ReplyDeleteLike this so very, very much, Gautami. You've given the shoes life and their own voice.
ReplyDeleteYeah, shoes really do go to some great places - love the imagery!
ReplyDeleteI love the shoes traveling to this spot and then back on the road. The world of soles revolving around a single stall.
ReplyDeleteRose
xo
Its been awhile I have taken a bit time to view LIP (www.livinginpoetry.blogspot.com) we had had chance to come upcloase to floot..Hope you will visit the blog and tell us about floot ...
ReplyDeleteThis brought me right back to being a kid and going to the cobbler's shop. I could smell the leather. Thanks! ~Linda
ReplyDeleteSolid and visual. Another great one!
ReplyDeletethe whole world in one place... good one!
ReplyDelete