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John Herlihy

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Those Old Shoes
by John Herlihy → (All Poetry by John Herlihy)
Wednesday, March 15, 2017    Rated "G" by the Author.
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Those Old Shoes
By John Herlihy

About to throw away those broken old shoes,
They were worn out and had paid their dues.
I had second thoughts and held myself back,
What could replace them to keep me on track.
Those old shoes did walk many a long mile.
I could only sit up feeling content and just smile.
Now, of course, they did look the worse for wear;
Shabby chic leather shines in each nick and tear.
The ragged shoe tongue just sits there idle now,
Hanging out like a dog’s thirsty tongue somehow.
As the years advanced along their merry old way,
I could not bring myself to throw my shoes away.
Sometimes, they lingered a while under the bed,
Looking as if they wanted to take a hike instead.
They seemed to look up at me forlorn in caricature;
In time, they took on the dusty aura of portraiture.
Some cultures just throw an old shoe from the rack,
When they want to insult someone as a dumb hack.
There I was pining away at the sight of my shoes,
Unwilling to give them up, inspiring like my muse.
May I suggest some spit and polish to clear the blues,
To bring some life and spirit to these sad old shoes.

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 Reviews of "Those Old Shoes"
Reviewed by Rebecca McKeehan
Reviewed on March 17, 2017
I have never thought about how shoes can say so much more than one's affluence. Your poem reads like an old John Denver song. Lovely!

Reviewed by Dadfire
Reviewed on March 16, 2017
I always judged a person's sole by their shoes, ha! The older I get the more I wear the same ole thing, day after day and to think I used to make fun of grandpa for doing that!!
Dan

Reviewed by Mary Ann Biddinger
Reviewed on March 16, 2017
John~
A pair of old shoes quietly laced.
Not yet! Splendid write.
Lady Mary Ann

Reviewed by Ronald Hull
Reviewed on March 16, 2017
One of your best. Beautiful wordsmithing the tendency of us men to keep our wearing things around a bit too long.

Ron

Reviewed by Deborah Shepard
Reviewed on March 16, 2017
beautiful journey loved the words special shoes in our memories, so much creative love in this write, humbled ..love your writeshugs

Reviewed on March 16, 2017
it's quite interesting, but out feet are the lowest and therefore the most humble (if not to say despicable) part of our body; however, their servants, our shoes, make the main and the worthiest part of our dressing. . . May I say of one man; when asked why his feet were so stinking, he calmly replied, 'because they grow from my butt.'
if you have a second thought about the old shoes, do not throw them away, just burn them down to have no repentance ;)) Cheers, alex

Reviewed on March 16, 2017
Nothing fits better than that old pair of shoes! They have been with you on your long journeys and never gave up on you. Marvelous poem!!

Love ya!

Jane

Reviewed by Michael Schafer
Reviewed on March 16, 2017
There's a lot of sole in this write. When I got to the part about throwing a shoe for insults, I had to chuckle as the image of George W. ducking came to my mind.

Reviewed by Jerry Bolton
Reviewed on March 16, 2017
Makes me think of a old pair of trousers that I refused to throw away because they had become such part of me. I worked offshore, and after I did a hitch and came home, my favorite air of trousers were gone. She had thrown them away. It wasn't a fun time around that house in the following days. It took another trip offshore to get us back in line.

Reviewed by Mystic Rose
Reviewed on March 16, 2017
Smile, my son is a landscaper and I've seen many a pair of these by him, can' understand completely. Though in his line of work he needs to change them, I am sure when he retires, he'll keep a pair for sure, Thanks for the tender words and sentimentality, Have a great day xo


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