The Old Shoe
by John Herlihy
________________________________________
I still have an endearing pair of old shoes —
I think of it as one, but really it’s a pair.
A shoe nobody in the world ever knew;
When I wore them, everyone would stare.
The color stood out, a creamy auburn brown,
The old leather soft and pliant to the touch.
Polished religiously with a smile and a frown,
They wore me with the devotion of a crutch.
“Don’t tell me those are the same old shoes!”
A modern dandy who was really just a cad,
In loafers, loafing around singing the blues —
A false smile to match and in polyester clad.
These old leather shoes I cannot live without;
They go with me as companion wherever I go.
Their style as classic for an afternoon walkabout,
Protected with galoshes when walking in snow.
One never accuses them of wearing the man;
The man will wear his shoes till his dying day,
Until he wears death slippers as a reprimand —
His fine old leather shoes finally taken away.
For now, he wears his old shoes proud,
Polishes them daily so they are well kept.
With his shoes he stands out in the crowd —
These the shoes in which he at times slept.
Sad the day when he can no longer borrow
These ageless shoes that have served him well,
To wear them until the coming of tomorrow —
For how many tomorrows, no one can tell.
—
Copyright © John Herlihy
Saturday 15 August 2026
Share
Print
Save
Follow
Always learning, today, I heard that. our feet increase one size as we age. I think those old shoes just spread out to accommodate.
Mine have steel toes and are no longer made by Redwing. Convenient for pushing open heavy doors in my wheelchair with the toes of my loafers
Ron