Monday, August 10th, 2009...7:39 pm
Shoe Rack
(A High Calling Blogs Random Act of Poetry, for L.L. Barkat’s series of writing prompts taking us around the house. This week we are in the hall.)
Painted metal with room to spare
for more pairs of sneakers and sandals,
I await their arrival in my magic space,
the hall which transforms our guest
from outside, front-porch acquaintance
to inside, living-room friend.
I wait in the place between outside and in.
The guest at this bubble-thin threshold will pass
from the cool air of surface acquaintance
to the deeper warmth of friend.
The guest sees me and hesitates,
for shoes hide dry and calloused soles
and the holes and threadbare spots in our socks.
But vulnerable is what they decide
and I get to know their shoes.
From the scent of treads and insoles
and the look of their laces
I know they have trodden
on newly mown grass, on gum-dotted halls,
on a sun-scorched asphalt parking lot.
They have walked through a morning
argument and lunch-hour stress.
But here, the guests choose to remove
their shoes and walk barefoot
on the holy ground of friendship,
for the souls in this home
walk barefoot, too.
***
This article also appeared in the May 11, 2012 issue of Catapult Magazine (http://www.catapultmagazine.com).
...to Know-Love-Obey God
11 Comments
August 10th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
What a marvelous point of view you took with this one. And I loved this…
“I know they have trodden
on newly mown grass…”
August 11th, 2009 at 10:52 am
I want a hall and place like this! I’ve always wanted to ask my guests to remove their shoes. But, alas my family never could fall into that ourselves……
This ending makes me want it even more:
“But here, the guests choose to remove
their shoes and walk barefoot
on the holy ground of friendship,
for the souls in this home
walk barefoot, too.”
Maybe if we ever move to a new home we can do this.
August 14th, 2009 at 8:52 am
what about slippers, just for awhile?
August 14th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Shoes and souls covered with gunk.
Bare feet and bare souls.
I like these analogies.
August 14th, 2009 at 11:13 am
…and in case anyone was wondering…
We never actually ask people to take off their shoes. They usually ask if they should, and we say to do whatever’s comfortable!
August 14th, 2009 at 8:12 pm
Reminds me of my childhood, so many friends had that no-shoes rule, but I just love the connection you make with vulnerability
August 15th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Nicely done…makes me think about God instructing Moses to remove his sandles as he is standing on holy ground. The intimacy of friendship…holy ground.
August 15th, 2009 at 6:10 pm
wonderful transition
August 17th, 2009 at 9:54 pm
Especially loved “for the souls in this home walk barefoot, too.”
August 20th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
“walk barefoot on the holy ground of friendship”–beautiful! Thanks for sharing. I bet you are a great friend.
September 6th, 2009 at 11:08 am
I must link to this!
Thanks for writing a poem on this subject. I have a whole blog about removing shoes in homes: Shoes Off at the Door, Please You might like to take a look.
I do think you should ask your guests to remove their shoes. It really does make a difference to have a consistent no-shoes rule. Most guests will not be offended if you ask nicely.
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