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| Vincent Van Gogh - Shoes 1888 |
A GLIMPSE - MY MOTHER AND I
She was mean
Refused to buy them for me
I already had two
One pair for school
One pair for everything else
You don't need them she said
Never noticed that I gulped my tears
Never cared
I never cared either
About her
Did she have two pair
(For Poets United.)
Did she have two pair
Or any
When she raised the courage
To pick me up
Gulp her tears
Walk briskly away from him
It hurt
Like walking barefoot
On broken glass
Not knowing
If her feet would ever heal
Enough to fit into something pretty
Like the shoes I yearned for
And eventually got
(For Poets United.)
The pain in this is palpable, full of unforgiveness..and regret? Do you wish she had stayed? Was he a good man afterall? You got the shoes eventually, meaning you moved on. It seems to suggest she did not.
ReplyDeleteNo idea if this is autobiographical or just really heart-piercing poetry. It is in the eye of the beholder, isn't it? Kind of like life.
Myrna, you have told my story as well as your own........sad, but with the positive ending. We eventually grow into bigger shoes and walk on.
ReplyDeleteInteresting use of images Myrna
ReplyDeleteMuch love ...
What a hard relationship! A powerful look back to stories shoes tell about relationships and hardship. The child may not be able to foresee a future, and so I love that this poem includes survival as well as the broken glass.
ReplyDeleteI like that it ended on the up. You spun the tale well.
ReplyDeleteWhen we are children and want something badly, like a pair of shoes, we can't understand why we can't have them. Later, when we are old enough to understand, we finally grow into our shoes. Nicely written!
ReplyDeleteI like that you show both the child's and the adult's hindsight point of view, so we get the full picture.
ReplyDeleteWhat a heartbreaking story this is Myrna. It is almost as though it is the introduction to a novel to grab the reader and suck them in. Sadly for us there is no more.
ReplyDeleteWell done, Myrna. I like the lesson learned at the end.
ReplyDeleteNot knowing
ReplyDeleteIf her feet would ever heal... there's such a story of sorrow and strength and understanding and fear in that ..beautifully told.
I like this very much. Ultimately, in order to have a healthy relationship, a mother and child must walk in each other's shoes.
ReplyDeleteSometimes our deepest yearnings really are fulfilled!
ReplyDeleteLike the shoes I yearned for
ReplyDeleteAnd eventually got
There has to some moments of anxiety before good times prevail. If it does happen then it would be more enjoyable
Hank
Tragedy often endows prudence, strength and courage to character. Love the positive end. A wonderful poem.
ReplyDeleteGlad you got the shoes eventually...complicated relationship between mother and daughter.
ReplyDeleteSad story well told, but glad you got the shoes, the dream realised.
ReplyDeleteAnna :o]
a complicated relationship revealed with clarity - and a certain stinging bite, but then, understanding .... amazing how something like a pair of shoes can tell so many tales. Sensitive write :)
ReplyDeleteI know this story too.... unfortunately. You told it brilliantly and beautifully. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI bet those yearned-for shoes you finally got Myrna, felt like you were walking on broken glass too...
ReplyDeleteAdulthood brings with it understanding that is painful and often apocalyptic!