I bought you for $75 in a size 5.5,
I received you with open arms
and twinkling eyes.
You were sparkling white,
so much so,
that I was afraid to wear you.
When I slipped you on,
you felt like a glove.
I didn’t think that you would last me a lifetime.
The satisfying sound of you
hitting the floor as I walked on
concrete and tile
still warms my heart to this day.
Please forgive me,
for ruining you.
I tried to be delicate,
and treat you like a baby.
I scratched you,
I dirtied you,
I ruined you.
You’re getting older now.
You’re slowly, slowly, slowly
starting to come apart.
And I’m afraid that our time together
is starting to shorten down.
I’m not ready to let go of you
just yet.
I’m not ready to stop hearing
the metal star hitting against the leather
that hangs at your side
as I walk.
I’m not ready to keep you
Sitting in my closet instead of my locker.
I’m not ready for the day,
The day the day,
That I stop using you,
And stop dancing with you.
I have been on the school’s varsity dance team since I was a sophomore. I decided to write about my boots because I’ve had them for 3 years and have used them for practices and performances during each football season. My writing process included me thinking about how long my boots have lasted me. I also thought about what I appreciated about them, and what they looked like when they were new compared to now. I used alliteration, repetition and similes throughout the poem.
I really liked the second stanza where you describe the sound of them because it feels like I can almost hear the sound of them. I also loved verses 18-20, and how you used alliteration to describe how you have "ruined" your boots.
--Fatima Cuevas
I really enjoyed this poem, more people need to have a greater appreciation for things we use everyday, like the appreciation you have for your boots. I liked the chronological structure of the poem, how we start at the moment you first got your boots, putting them on, to them finally slowly breaking down and them getting old. The perspective this is written in is also interesting, I love that you are speaking to the boots.
--Krista Cain