I could take the bank, the cleaners, the shoe store, the clothier
But when the tavern closed, I despaired
You see, Joe’s Bar & Grill wasn’t just another business
It was the place folks turned when their lives were a mess
Always a friendly voice to greet you,
a shoulder on which to cry
You went in feeling like two cents
~ emerged from there in the future perfect tense
I rose up hard through the ranks,
Shining shineless shoes aglow.
Some just paid me with their thanks,
Some just a penny a toe!
On my long way to the top,
I shined tears from eye to eye.
Because sometimes shoes would stop,
Alas, most shoes just went by!
I sweat, I scrimped, and I slaved,
Put every penny away.
I knew every penny saved,
Would shine gold for me some day!
Had spit-polish dues to meet,
Singing the St. Louis Blues.
Saw more than a million feet,
And more than ten miles of shoes!
But every shoe that would stop,
Just one more penny to peck.
Till packs of pennies would drop,
And put gold around my neck!
All those precious pennies earned,
I fondly think on once more...
The golden rule's what I learned,
Now I own my own shoe store!
One could say that my early life's arena
was linked to a street called Issaqueena.
You see, it was on Issaqueena Street that I first
met Mr. May, and I will always treasure that day.
Meeting Mr. May really made my day because by
teaching me to sell, he released me from my shell.
I learned that I did not have to be Mr. May, but I did
need to listen and learn what he had to say.
Mr. May taught me that:
To sell a shoe,
There's more you have to do.
It's a shoe store;
nothing less; nothing more.
Sometimes, you stand on the sidewalk
and give a little smile and a little talk.
Be aggressive and don't be shy
if you want a customer to buy.
There is more to selling a shoe than show and tell.
You also have to really want to make the sale.
You new leather shoe
How remarkable thy scent
Better than jasmines,
stuffed down my nostrils
As I tap my feet,
out the shoe store
How swiftly your perfume,
fades away
But still I will wear,
this accessory made from skin
Worshiping it till, the need
of a new pair
The night has fallen,
turning the sky deep purple,
the color of bruises.
Outside the glass door
of the place I call home,
the noises,
and the witchy voices
on the intercom,
are drowned out.
Some men have tried
to quell my anxiety.
We've gone browsing
in the shoe store,
the phone company,
to distract me from fears.
But I've come back
again and again,
to hardened criminals
with hard hearts.
I've held them to my chest,
let them chew me to bits.
I've gotten used to
this frozen sidewalk,
where I've learned
to ground my feet.
I go knowing exactly what I want
I am particular in my liking
Shoes must be comfortable to wear
For both dancing and for hiking
I know they say they flatter
But stilettos are not my fave
Let’s be honest, they hurt like hell
They’re only for the brave
Fiddly buckles, wispy straps
Both of these are just annoying
Bending down at my advancing age
Is something that I try avoiding
And I bet if you find a shoe that fits
They’ll cost a million dollars
Shoe shopping is no fun at all -
It’s such a bunch of cobblers
Broke my running shoes,
Ruined my day to be honest,
Now I gotta go down to the shoe store and listen to some cretin tell me what shoes I should be wearing,
As I arrived, a young man approached me and immediately starts dribbling on about the weight of each shoe,
"Midsole foams on this Nike now make a plush ride possible without adding much heft to the shoe" he says with excitement in his eyes,
"Just give me something that fits my foot and take my money" I think to myself as I nod politely,
I ended up leaving with three new pairs of sneakers,
Cost me $600
The girl that bought sandals
To walk up the country road
Realized her feet were sore
She had a decision to buy
Comfortable shoes for walking
She decided to search for shoes
At the shopping mall
Walking from one shoe store
to another
In order to ponder what she wanted
She wanted to search for styles
Determined to buy shoes
That were comfortable
She came across a brand
Skehers a shoe for walking
Tried them on purchased them
Prince Charming arrived at the shoe store
looking for his Cinderella and future bride,
it was announced ahead of time on the internet,
thousands of women lined up for the event.,
hoping their tootsies would fit the glass slipper,
hours of grunts and groans and no luck,
Barbie Doll appeared in her gown and it was over.
Through your eyes killer
Intimate Memory
Sitting oribiting
Settling on Renzo Rosso’s yellow
Forever optical remembering
Mayhem under rose during evening
Rosso inked needing God
Yielding over use
BUT Too late, hunger set in
Between knife and spine
Only if you listened
I accidentally stained your yellow bottoms red
When all I wanted was green
CVS, a coffee shop and shoe store raced passed me
I stepped over a rose blooming through the concrete
I’ve walked this path for 5 years
8pm curfew, out past 9pm grown-up
up keep feet clicking hearing distant steps
CVS, a coffee shop and a shoe store
but no souls in sight tonight
fear creeps up behind; held scream
give me your money! unseen
soul gives way to sole,
knee buckle at demand
gravity and knife becomes one
spine bent vertical, at least one
one spineless coward killed me
for 5 years I’ve walked this path
and for 5 dollars, a candy bar and
heels too big to run in I’ve fallen
right next to a CVS
between the gutter and trash bins
put out only 5 min prior
I never noticed who did it
But I’ll never forget the first time
In 5 years
I saw a rose that bloomed through the concrete
In certain neighborhoods, this is
What all the shoe stores do:
When customers want sneakers,
They may only try one shoe.
At first they’re given just the left
And if it’s not too tight,
They give the salesman back the shoe
Then they try on the right.
There is no chance to walk around
With both shoes on their feet,
Unless they make a purchase
And are holding the receipt.
It seems that thieves have ruined things
When sneaker buyers shop
Unless, as an alternative,
Each shoe store hired a cop!
Men seek beauty in woman
But still they want more,
In truth they’re not certain
What they’re looking for.
Savoir faire can suggest that
There’s nothing to hide.
A look or a smile that
Invites men inside.
Cleanliness is a plus too
Though his home’s a mess
With incomplete projects
He’s loathe to address.
But the path to his heart’s joy
Is never that straight,
You’re likely to lose it
If you rush the gate.
Though man’s pride is important
Don’t give up your own,
Don’t fret over his words
But honor his tone.
The beauty you need is not
Bought in a shoe store,
And stories uncertain
May show you the door.
Honor your deepest feelings,
To your heart be true,
And beauty discovered,
Will likely be you.
Brian Johnston
February 1, 2015
Discount strip mall far away
One store in mind to search yea
A shoe store that has real styles
Get lost there awhile
Up and down rows more rows_shoes
Danity, fancy, delicate_choose
One catches eye_stilettoes
Try maybe safely
One pair with those high high heels
Sit down slip one on sit still
Lovely shoes beauty to see
Stand up fall on knees
Dodoitsu is suppose to be either about love or humorous
I hope this one gives you a chuckle...
Had written for Linda-Marie's contest
but realized I had left the most important part out..
Twos, threes, and one-eyed jacks,
And jokers thrown in too,
These were the wild cards in our poker game,
May seem a lot to you....
But four of a kind to open,
Somewhat evens up the score,
And this was a time of fun,
And we did much, much more
This was our "Military Club"
An idea I did cook up,
To give reason to live,
For old men lost to desperate time
Who's life otherwise passed by them
Turned out an idea sublime
All got ranks in our club,
My uncles were Majors, you see
My father I made the Colonel
And poor old lowly me...
A mere Lieutenant
To drive the staff car around
This became so important to them
My idea had been more than sound
We loved our pool halls
Like most women love a shoe store,
And took turns at each others houses,
And what's even more
After pool we'd have some beers
In one of our watering holes,
And after poker later
A good meal would enrich our souls
Ah, to go one more time
Out with them,
Alas most are gone
And all I have is memories
To help me carry on.
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