An Ode

This was a simple homage to my mother's overseas Christmas visit and my farewell to her at the end of it, through the medium of a poem addressed to her shoes. For three weeks she kept her shoes inside the front door under the Christmas tree -we do not wear shoes in the house- and I felt at the end of her trip that I had somehow taken their presence, and hers, for granted.

Ode to Mater's Shoes, That Used to Rest By the Front Door: Christmas 2002

Ah! I shall miss thee both,
twin shoes, a pair so fine
that had their place by the door
(sometimes I put mine)
Ah, but when ye leave
I'll see ye no more,
Mater's new shoes
that rested by the door
when oft she wasn't smoking;
I would that those shoes, a while
could stay and rest here longer
afore they go on their mile.
Goodbye to Mater's shoes,
I'll miss thee both, it's true.
As for the feet that filled the shoes,
mayhap I'll miss them too.