How ordinary seemed the dusty shoes
of those who went before to show the way!
They were not giants, they did not refuse
to share their wisdom, for another day
forerunners coached them too. They did not say
that all was understood, they still could learn.
These humble folk could mock themselves and play
with witty words, yet often showed concern.
Their shoes are empty now, our tears have dried.
Our loss is more than friendship, for the years
have shown that with them, also talent died.
In nature's course, new mentors must appear,
each one with gifts that no one else supplied.
We cherish them as long as they are near.
Author notes
It was tricky to find a poem that
1. you had not commented on
2. had won gold
3. I had not deleted
Already to reduce our carbon footprint, we keep one well-maintained vehicle, use public transportation, and walk when we can. In addition, we can stop lighting fires in the fireplace of our centrally heated apartment, and turn off lights in empty rooms.
How beautiful are the feet of them,
who preach the gospel of peace.
Written March 26th, 2006
In a list
A contest entry
- Poets Gone But Not Forgotten #2 by catz.
1250 points, ended April 10, 2006, 4 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Trade In Your GOLD for GREEN by ea.
360 points, ended August 26, 2007, 9 entries
Honorable mention
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
What did you think
Comments
1 - 34 of 34
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well, your greenness shines and I'm glad to read that there is more you plan to do. The sonnet is interesting because I think of poems as "shoes"; I realize this is a touching tribute to poets you have befriended. Maybe anyone's shoes can still be filled with their poetry even if they were ordinary or have traveled on. Thank you for joining this.
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Thank you for HM and the green badge in this short contest, Marcy.
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Thanks for applause, Terr!
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Can't really comment because I'm at school right now, but either I or FemYem will be back later tonight.
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Thanks manoj.
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Excellent poem and deserves to be the Gold medal winner.
Congrats!!
manoj -
Golden Talent
I remember this. Congratulations!!! Well worthy of GOLD. Bravo!!!
Edited on Apr 11, 7:05 p.m. because ''. -
Thanks for your visit and congratulations to me - and well done to you for the gold Poets are indeed gone but not forgotten.
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Thanks Debs.
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A lovely dedication poem. Their words of wisdom we will learn from and exert our own achievements with them in our hearts. Well done and good luck in the contest. Debs x
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Thanks for your applause and comment, Elizabeth, I'm happy you like this work. I suppose someone must step into the empty shoes, thanks for that thought.
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Thank you Yvette, and welcome to AP. This could apply equally to all of our mentors, not just the few that had time for me on AP. Thanks for the reflection of how this affected you.
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Walk a mile in his shoes.
Beautifully written Margaret.Am not familiar with your work so am very pleased I opened on to this Poem.Prolific thoughts and like the imagery of empty shoes which are cleaned from dust and filled anew.We will not forget that which was written with so much depth and their wisdom will be forever with us.A splendid piece of work.Lots of luck in the Contest.Elizabeth. -
A poignant poetic tribute,well done indeed.I am relatively new to ap,as of end of january,so do not know the pots of which you refer but I echo your thoughts and sentiments re rememberence of the essence of them which was to create and share,love and light,Yvette
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Thank you kaibab, I'm glad you enjoyed this. Thanks too for your thoughts on shoes. It is the poet's imagination which makes objects speak.
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I have oftem though about shoes and how much of our life esperiece they have been a part of...And those who walked so many mile with all their talents and burdens...hopes and fears...accomplishments and failures...This is a dear thought and I thank you for this...
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Thank you Rod. You are right about talent, but I'm not going to rewrite! Sometimes disagreement raises the emotional impact. My mentors were generous with their time and talent, and the result is that their talent lives on through mine.
Thanks for your comment and applause.
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Talent shared is never lost... Words that touched so deeply and inspired such beauty as placed here make eternal marks in this passing plane. Those that show the open door to the realm of the Muse live longest for they have given us direction in our own journey.
Beautiful flow and rhyme, but then, isn't that just what you do? Beautiful sentiment exquisitely expressed.
Peace and blessings, Rod -
This is sad because it reminds us of their absence, but still has a message that brings smiles. Those shoes may be empty but will never be left in a dark corner
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Written by a Beautiful Earth Angel
Amen and Amen and so how beautiful are you angel. Your friendship is cherished by so many on here and I often smile when I see how others cherish you too.
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Thank you Dee. Good luck with the contest.
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Thanks Patricia.
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Thanks Elisa. I owe a lot to two poets who are no longer around. Del died last September, and passionvine has gone to other pastures.
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Thank you Mary. It is the same in all walks of life, as the elders pass away, younger people must step into leadership roles. I still consider myself "young in poetry".
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Thanks FM (may I call you Ian?).
Your statement is true for many famous poets, but most poetry books are printed once or twice and then they become difficult to find. It is worse on the internet. Alas, Del Livingston was irritated by management here, and removed most of his work.
We still have his insightful and supportive comments on our poems.
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Thanks Keith. I was thinking of the idiom of large shoes to fill, when someone of great moral stature is gone. The poets we love are fully human, so they have dusty shoes. Don't worry, your shoes are large enough!
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a sad piece, but beautiful in that sorrow. aye, they pass by, but they leave a wealth of words in their wake, so we may wander their avenues long after their final waves.
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Aww, Margaret, your words express such sweet remembrances. This is a beautiful tribute to our dear poets gone before us.
thank you for entering
Dee
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How true, Margaret. You have honored them well. Hugs, Patricia
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I find this to be a very sad, and very respectful poem. It makes me hope that I can be one of those 'new mentors' that you mentioned. Lovely write, Margaret!
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I love the gentle tone of respect and hope within this poem. There is a feeling of looking back with sadness washed in love and looking forward with more to be accomplished.
You have paid worthy tribute to the ones who have passed and left the door open in welcome for new mentors. Beautifully written and wise as always. (Your author's note inspires.) -
Excellent sonnet. Shoes are often a metaphor, and mine are better not physically present! Sorry, couldn't resist a wee joke. I thought of Wordsworth when I read this. I never met him (how old do you think I am?) but I believe he was physically small. Yet he walked the mountains of the Lakes, and produced masterpieces. Daffodils often comes into my head. People often mock it for its simplicity, but complexity of language doesn't necessarily mean anything, does it? And of course, there's Westminster Bridge. Such beauty in the world, and it takes just a moment to point it out. Thanks for sharing, and keep up the good work. I'm off to check my shoe size!
Best Wishes. -
Thanks for your comment Yem. Thanks for mentioning all the giants of literature that went before us. We are lucky to have their example, and also our elders in poetry to show us how to improve ourselves.
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Sounds like you're writing about me...
Sorry. Not just peace, I've cast this over anyone who spreads wisdom. I have bookshelves filled with these creative men and women, and each of them had their day, was influential in their time and continued and offered a path they'd been shown.
There's sadness in these words...but also much respect.
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