Bare Feet

Heels click clack on linoleum Tennis shoes squeak on tile Socks murmur on carpet Work boots squish in mud They all crescendo into the symphony But nothing compares to the perfect sound of Slap slap slap against pavement Freedom The summer passes with many a burned toe Knicks and snags roughen my soles By the end of the season I can barely feel the bumpy sidewalk I savor the wind as it whips past my toes Trees sing their swan song in the cooling air Painting the skyline with riches Gold, rubies, amethyst and the last emeralds Splash against the sapphire backdrop Soles calloused by summer crunch the fallen foliage The thermostat drops and I am forced into prisons The too tight socks and suffocating shoes I am shoved from my domain for fear of frozen feet At night they have respite Even with only blankets one must break free and stick into the just cold enough air Reminiscing of days too long ago to exactly remember and Too far away to exactly expect The crystals on my windows mock me Reminding me that I am trapped in these practical strait jackets until the earth awakens Even when it is still too cold for the rest, I am out there reading the earth Feet free at last No artificial skins around them to cover and protect Finally Every day I will suffer the small loses to claim the prize of a lived life I will not cover them up I will not accept that it is only March and I should put something on I will NOT stop myself from fully experiencing this world just because it will fade away I will wish for the soft grass like salve on my pavement burnt skin again Wood, warm and wise, whispers to me Telling me stories from generations of old The wishes and hush-toned secrets gathered in her warps My toes navigate like reading braille Oh to be a naked foot allowed to breathe Granted the desire to search each crevice for bits of lives left behind I do not need yoga to connect my mind and body I just close my eyes and feel I push against the earth and she pushes against me This is what it feels like to be alive I spread my toes in the dust of the ground Dust of the earth to which I will return