CALL ME BELOVED

my stride has changed to an unfamiliar gait
and I find myself disappointed in my new shoes –
the first disagreeable pair I’ve owned in years.
the relationship between shoe and owner is sacred
in its simplicity, and I have had great fortune.

now my walks have become unforgiving –
quick to correct my distracted clumsiness.
the leather is possessed of its own will,
each new step brings a chiding gnaw
to the backs of my ankles.

but I have a great and all-encompassing patience,
being made of stronger stuff and tempered –
I will gently work my wanderlust into them
until leather softens and becomes as yielding
as own attitudes. together, we will see many things.