In his introduction to today’s #verselove prompt, Andy Shoenborn states, “I believe a poem rests in wait within each of us.” As a neophyte poet, these are reassuring words. Andy asked us to write a paragraph of prose about a pair of shoes we’d never forget, then to “look for naturally occurring repetition, alliteration, striking images, and moments of emphasis fit for enjambments” and from there to create a poem that tumbles down the page. Here goes.

When I was five years old, my family lived in a remote location in southeast Alaska. Our food, as well as all other merchandise, was delivered in semi-regular fashion by boat, and later by small cargo plane. New clothing was a rare novelty, and something to be treasured. For whatever reason, I had been granted the purchase of a bright red pair of Mary Jane style shoes. I was delighted by this extravagance, and excitedly tried them on. From the get-go, they were tight, a bit pinchy. But, there was no way I was going to return these shoes to wherever they had come from. My mom queried me on whether they were too tight, but I insisted they were fine. Sucking in my breath and stiffening my upper lip, I gleefully went off to skip and play. I have no memory of how long I was able to wear these shoes before I truly outgrew them, but for a moment in time I was as grand as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz.

Magic Slippers

A magical delight
a treasure
the mail delivery
a pair of red shoes
unexpected, yet
longed for

“are they too tight?”
“no! they are fine”
even though
they were not

brave face
no complaints
skipping
playing

because
these red shoes
were the most
precious thing
I’d ever owned