My Shoes

I found them tucked beneath a cracked mirror,
brown leather dull with the dust of old grief,
heels worn down from turning away—
a shape molded by silence, not comfort.

I wear them when the air grows sharp with voices,
when praise feels like a trap,
and critique, a stone under my tongue.
I walk away before I bruise.

These shoes make me taller.
Sometimes, I lift my chin like a blade,
cutting the room before it cuts me,
every step echoing with defensiveness.

I find my kind in shadowed corners,
cliques of scuffed pride and spiteful glances,
laughing through locked doors,
afraid of what opening it might undo.

We call it discernment.
But, it’s merely our fortress with no windows,
where every wall is lined with our cracked mirrors…
reflecting only what we wish to see.

And still, I cinch them tighter.
These shoes, my ritual, my retreat,
though they don’t fit like they used to,
I don’t know how to walk without them.

They’re mine, but not only mine.
Anyone can slip them on in moments of retreat.
They wait by my door like old habits do,
ready for anyone who'd rather feel safe than heard.


12/27/24

Copyright © | Year Posted 2025



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Date: 9/6/2025 10:32:00 AM
Dear Mark, it's a pleasure to return and re-read this poignant intimate introspection so beautifully and artfully expressed. Your poem ages with a patina that achieves greater depth and richness with every read. Congratulations for your success in Mark's contest. Warmest wishes, my dear poet friend.. ~Susan
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Date: 8/29/2025 2:32:00 PM
This one really resonates with me, Mark. I have my own pair, in fact. :) Brilliant write! A Fav poem for me. Congratulations on your top 10 win on Mile 11 of my 2025 Poetry Marathon Contest. Keep your running shoes on, because Mile 12 has already started.
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Date: 5/26/2025 8:02:00 AM
Dear Mark, I adore your creative use of intriguing, intimate imagery and metaphor to express feelings of hurt, vulnerability, insecurity in such a powerful and palpable way. This poem poignantly bares its soul so poetically and beautifully and reaches into the "shadowed corners" I have too. Your last two lines are impactful for a tender yet deeply moving finale. Warmest wishes, my inspiring poet friend.. ~Susan
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Date: 5/24/2025 7:19:00 AM
Sometimes, I lift my chin like a blade, cutting the room before it cuts me, every step echoing with defensiveness... Enjoyed this write with its honesty. Us humans are complicated. Even those who seemingly wear their feelings on a sleeve…
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Massey Avatar
Mark Massey
Date: 5/24/2025 7:39:00 AM
Thank you, Kim
Date: 5/24/2025 7:03:00 AM
i found that same pair expect mine were boots. I like the line "i find my kind in shadowed corners" there are corners everywhere.
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Massey Avatar
Mark Massey
Date: 5/24/2025 7:38:00 AM
Thank you
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