Shoe Letter – Written From Left to Right
Shoe Letter – Written From Left to Right
My dear…. fellow,
I don’t even know what to call you, buddy,
except gone.
I don’t know what to say,
except come back.
‘Course, it could get rough–
you have some kind of tongue on you
and I can be an awful heel–
still we had something–
we were together–just us two–and that was the way
I guess I thought we always would be.
Only now–now, you’ve walked, and now
I’m left behind, more left, and there don’t seem nothing
I can do to bring you back–
Look, you were right. You were always right.
You thought out of the box
from the very start, even back when everything
was so tight.
Then later, when you finally made me come
out of the closet–
sure, I was pissed (damn dog)–but you stayed by me
through the whole darn muck of it, stayed
right by my side.
And what stinking thing
did I do in return?
Insist I wasn’t having
strings attached, me
who was always so straight-laced anyway,
what did it even matter
about me?
Honestly, when I look out the window–into our old corner of sky
and telephone line–I feel almost
like hanging myself–
but I don’t think I could even dangle
on my lonesome.
I’m just useless
with you gone, moping by the side
of the bed, half-crazed
with worry
and want.
Oh yeah, I know people think of me
as the strong silent type–but beneath that leathery exterior,
I am crying, babe.
Just because no one hears don’t mean
it aint real.
Cause I am crying, sweetheart,
crying for you.
Sole mate,
soul mate,
sole….
mate.
That is what I can call you, all right–
dear one,
please–
*****************************************
Here’s a little sort of poem very belatedly written for Kerry O’Connor’s challenge on With Real Toads to write a love letter between two inanimate objects. The prompt was based on very creative performance poetry by Sarah Kay. In my case, the objects, if you hadn’t guessed, are a pair of shoes–one gone missing, the other unable to cobble together a new life.
I am also posting this for dVerse Poets Pub Open LInk Night.
PS – I’ve realized since posting that I made my drawing of the right shoe rather than left! I’m very right handed – will try to fix if I have time.
Explore posts in the same categories: poetry, UncategorizedTags: After Sarah Kay, Dear Shoe, love poem between inanimate objects, manicddaily, Missing in footwear poem, Sad shoe poem, shoe?, Where did you go
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ManicDDaily 
July 23, 2013 at 8:44 am
Clever stuff … it has soul / sole … heh-heh 🙂
July 23, 2013 at 9:51 am
Ha- thanks, Polly.
July 23, 2013 at 9:15 am
ha…some fun word play in there….and very humorous…you were always right, of course…very tongue in cheek, or is it the mouth of the shoe…pretty sad to break up a pair, and just when they are well worn in , the soul gives out, whats up with that? smiles…
July 23, 2013 at 9:51 am
Hopefully the toes go first! k.
July 25, 2013 at 4:15 pm
smiles…you know i would never eat a vegetarian, right?
ha. the notebook cover was humorous to me…smiles.
July 25, 2013 at 4:33 pm
Ha! I guess that’s a confession (already seen from your poetry) that you are a bit of an animal! A good thing to be, considering the alternative – robot? Thanks k.
July 23, 2013 at 9:28 am
Encore!!!!
This is simply excellent, K. The play on words is so aptly phrased – I had such a good laugh, while marvelling at your poetic skill.
Look, you were right. You were always right.
You thought out of the box
from the very start…
Haha! How does one top that?
July 23, 2013 at 9:51 am
Thanks so much, Kerry – I think I lost my comment. It was much fun for me. Thanks for the great prompt. k.
July 23, 2013 at 11:44 am
Oh good Lord, I love this. It is brilliantly funny, and a little bittersweet.
July 23, 2013 at 12:18 pm
Thanks, Susan – I was hoping for some bittersweet, but there are just so many available jokes I couldn’t quite stop. Glad you enjoyed. k.
July 23, 2013 at 12:01 pm
sole mate…so good…ha…enjoyed this a lot k. – oh if shoes could talk…
July 23, 2013 at 12:17 pm
Mine would be very corny. k.
July 23, 2013 at 12:25 pm
Karin, this is really good! Absolutely wonderful wordplay. (And cool pic as well.)
Loved these lines especially:
“you have some kind of tongue on you
and I can be an awful heel–”
You’ve got me feeling sorry for the poor remaining shoe.
July 23, 2013 at 1:23 pm
Ha. Thanks, Mary. k.
July 23, 2013 at 2:46 pm
This – is absolutely clever.
Really enjoyed it, Karin!
July 23, 2013 at 3:15 pm
I’m standing on my chair applauding !!! What a fabulous take an the prompt !! I love how you go from a little tell-off to heart-wrenching-pleading !! I’m having big belly laughs from your humor, a delight, pure joy to read !!!
July 23, 2013 at 10:08 pm
Ha. Thanks so much. K.
July 23, 2013 at 3:23 pm
This is a great take on the prompt. And their point-fo-view, wow. I wish I could think this out of the box. The word play is deft.
July 23, 2013 at 3:25 pm
Loved, loved this K–“soulful” (sorry, just had to say it!)
July 23, 2013 at 3:59 pm
Thanks so much, Audrey. Thanks for the tweet also. I have little time today so will not be able to make rounds till late or tomorrow. Thanks though. k.
July 23, 2013 at 3:54 pm
Wow awesome concept! So creative and well done!
July 23, 2013 at 4:08 pm
Soletastic awesomesauce.
Really, it’s great on many levels.
July 23, 2013 at 4:42 pm
Thanks so much. I am still playing with it as it is a bit long, but really appreciate your kind comment. k.
July 23, 2013 at 4:25 pm
Clever, great word play Karin.
July 23, 2013 at 4:59 pm
crafty brilliance with words, karin. this has got to be one of your specialties. I was completely engaged the entire read. It was fun to contemplate your prompt.
“Just because no one hears don’t mean it aint real.” Fun write.
July 23, 2013 at 5:47 pm
Oh this is so cute. Had me laughing Love how creative you got with that prompt.
July 23, 2013 at 6:15 pm
What a great fun piece– you carried the metaphor well! ~peace, Jason
July 23, 2013 at 9:18 pm
Smiles, grins and laughs! Well done!
July 23, 2013 at 10:20 pm
This was so much fun to read and very witty..the soles have soul..
July 24, 2013 at 1:59 am
Punning worthy of a Shakespeare prize! And the love letter is wonderful, left shoe to lost shoe. Soul to sole.
July 24, 2013 at 6:37 am
Thanks so much, Susan. k.
July 24, 2013 at 4:38 am
Karin I laughed so hard at ‘cobble together’ I knocked my mouse off the table. I cringed my way through this glorious black (humor) sabot(h) and for some reason, it was twanging for me a bit country, like maybe it was a sundered pair of snakeskin shitkickers who’d split the leather blanket and lived to give tongue to it all with pedal steel accompaniment. Just lots of fun–thanks for the much-needed dose of laughter.
July 24, 2013 at 6:37 am
Thanks – it has a bit of twang. You know, I had a very hard time with it in some ways because there are just so many jokes to a very punny mind like mine, some that I did not use and maybe I put in too many, and it was very hard to keep to an idea of “voice” and yet fit in the jokes. I may go back at some point and try to shape more with a clearer sense of voice–“Cobble together” one of the jokes I didn’t think I could quite squeeze in–A very interesting exercise as you want to make it work on more than the pun level – I’m not sure I’ve done that, but will think about it some more. Glad for the laugh. k.
July 24, 2013 at 7:55 am
I get the feeling you could keep this up for pages–the clever wordplay just rolls along. Excellent work!
July 24, 2013 at 8:50 am
Thanks, Nico.
July 24, 2013 at 8:46 am
“You thought out of the box
from the very start, even back when everything
was so tight.”
Thank you. Just that one line, I really thank you. Loved your poem.
Greetings from London.
July 24, 2013 at 8:50 am
Ha. Thanks. k.
July 24, 2013 at 10:51 am
HA! brilliantly done. I love word play and this is alive with it but retaining a sense of the poetic and really using as a comical device to great effect. I could see it as an animation as it unravelled and I had REAL fun in the imagining: I also found it sad in that classic cartoon way. it has all the elements to entertain and I am V happy but sad for the shoe too 🙂
July 24, 2013 at 12:49 pm
Thanks so much, Arron, for your very kind comment! k.
July 24, 2013 at 2:36 pm
Right Shoes to Left Shoes
IS
Shoes Left to Shoes Right
Choose
Right
Left
Shoes
Right
Choose
She’s
He
She’s
Her
He’s
Her
She’s
He
She’s
Me
You?
You!
ME?
We
Oh!
K
July 24, 2013 at 5:02 pm
A very clever piece of writing, karin. I love how you took a pair of shoes and separated them. I have seen many shoes in Mexico hanging from the telephone lines, and have often thought about the motivation behind throwing them up. Thanks for the smile.
Pamela
July 24, 2013 at 5:11 pm
Thank you, Pamela. k.
July 24, 2013 at 7:53 pm
Hi K…great illustration for a start..love the detail (and the detail in the poem as well). I smiled all the way through and loved the word play. You really are a clever one.
Having gone through the move, it reminded me of when I could only find one of my pair of Cole-Hahn’s which are my go walking around, go shopping shoes with nike air inside. I thought it had been left behind or lost in the move. I put the one I’d found in the middle of the floor and with every box I opened I searched for the mate. Near the end of the box opening ordeal, I found it…whew! So glad I didn’t throw the first one away.
Good to be back reading again!
July 24, 2013 at 8:38 pm
This is spot on!!! I LOVE the heck otta your humor…thank you, for the laugh!
July 24, 2013 at 8:55 pm
Thanks, Hannah– really liked your rondeau – I don’t see where to comment but the form gives you a great deal of music. k.
July 24, 2013 at 9:08 pm
Oh, thank you!I appreciate that, Karen!
July 24, 2013 at 10:41 pm
Your writing is so clever and creative. How do you come up with these great lines? Just amazing!
July 25, 2013 at 3:59 am
Ha! Love it! Very clever.
July 26, 2013 at 3:30 am
Superb response to the challenge. Both touching and humerous.
July 26, 2013 at 5:10 pm
Karin, this is one of those poems I wish I’d written. So fun. When you go into that humorous place, you bring good things to all of us. You know, I don’t subscribe to many blogs, only because of the email and time involved (there are a lot I would like to, though) but I think I’m going to have to change my SOP. I would have missed this had you not commented on mine. Thanks for the smile.
July 26, 2013 at 6:19 pm
Thank YOU, Victoria – I really liked the prompt and actually have started a couple of poems, but I have been very busy with work and have not been able to finish them properly. Thanks much. I know what you mean about visiting blogs. I like it but there’s very little time in life for me right now. Thanks. k.
July 27, 2013 at 1:02 am
that’s like a Sondheim lyric !
July 27, 2013 at 8:48 pm
Thanks so much, Deb. Ha. k.