To shoe or not to shoe…I’m not so sure that was today’s prompt for #verselove at Ethical ELA, but that’s what tumbled down into my poem today.

Shoe Seasons

In summer

I walk the beach

bare

flip flops shoved

in my back pocket

toes squishing in wet sand

ankles lapped by shoreline waves

Bare means risking

stings

by dying bees

(why do they come to the beach to die?)

globs of jelly

stingray barbs

Relishing the cool

salty sea water

soft sandy footbed

gentle caresses

by our mother

Earth

In winter

I walk the beach

shod

sneakers well worn

past their prime

cracked and holey

ready for a briny bath

by misstep

or rogue wave

sand seeps in

filling my shoes

and my home

with ocean confetti

There are only two seasons

for beach footwear:

bare

is best

@kd0602