This is not a pair of shoes

~ Ali Grimshaw 
This dancing couple has grace
swinging and swirling across the floor
while never leaving each other's side.

One with a worn toe from accenting turns
The other steady centered,
to spin in balanced pleasure.

I long to slip into their magical trance 
it has been a long while
since they have been out on a date.

As I pull them from the closet
I smile with the miles of songs
we traveled together.

Both have matched many steps 
to anxious cold handed partners 
tentative hesitance of beginners
ease of familiar firm arms.

This pair is a portal to playfulness
open to all ages, they remain 
timeless in their relationship.

A long lasting love story between them
to be lived again and again
until their soles have worn away.

© Ali Grimshaw 2021

Come join the fun on dVerse with Poetics: Object Poems

Dedicated to all my social dancing friends and anyone who is missing the joy of dancing together.
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31 thoughts on “This is not a pair of shoes”

  1. I love this poem..especially since I discounted the title, thinking you’d used it just because of the prompt, so I started out thinking you were really describing a couple on the dance floor. This made the second stanza even more wonderful. Then, the enigma and the rereading of the third and fourth stanzas made me realize you were really talking about a pair of shoes, yet the poem still described both the dancers and the shoes. Really well-done and enjoyable, but I would change the title so as not to give the double entendre away too soo. Really a lovely poem, Ali.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Judy,
      I appreciate your feedback. It is always interesting to hear how someone experiences a poem. I have learned that a single poem can bring forth a variety of messages due to the person experience we bring to it.
      I will think on another title. Do you have a suggestion?
      Wishing you wellness and peace.

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      Reply

      1. I read this poem a half dozen times while trying to come up with a suggestion for a name and liked it better and saw more in it every time. That is the mark of a successful poem. I thought of a few but perhaps my favorite was “Matched Pair”. Other titles had to do with flirting around with the concepts love story, old couple and partners, but I never quite came up with a title for those concepts..

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I like Matched Pair. It works well for the shoes and the dancing couple.
        How kind you are to spend so much time with my words. Thank you so much.
        Have a beautiful day.
        Ali

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  8. Makes me want to dance, Ali! I love the whole scene of pulling shoes from closet and letting them dance your memories around … as your focus helps them relive their stories and dance their soles are worn away. Beautiful.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Carrie,
      It felt good to remember all of the joy dancing has given me and to let go of the sadness of missing the communities of people I have danced with. One of my dancing friends recently passed away due to COVID.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. This made me sigh….”A long lasting love story between them
    to be lived again and again
    until their soles have worn away.”

    I think their “souls” will go on in memories.
    p.s..I removed your first link as I noticed you linked up twice with same poem.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you, Mish. It has been one of those days. I didn’t mean to link twice.
      I appreciate your reflection. These dancing shoes of mine hold years of memories. I appreciate your prompt. It was an opportunity to write through the feelings I have had missing dancing in the last year.

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      Reply

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