Heels click clack on linoleum
Tennis shoes squeak on tile
Socks murmur on carpet
Work boots squish in mud
They all crescendo into the symphony
But nothing compares to the perfect sound of
Slap slap slap against pavement
Freedom

The summer passes with many a burned toe
Knicks and snags roughen my soles
By the end of the season I can barely feel the bumpy sidewalk
I savor the wind as it whips past my toes

Trees sing their swan song in the cooling air
Painting the skyline with riches
Gold, rubies, amethyst and the last emeralds
Splash against the sapphire backdrop
Soles calloused by summer crunch the fallen foliage

The thermostat drops and I am forced into prisons
The too tight socks and suffocating shoes
I am shoved from my domain for fear of frozen feet
At night they have respite
Even with only blankets one must break free and stick into the just cold enough air
Reminiscing of days too long ago to exactly remember and
Too far away to exactly expect

The crystals on my windows mock me
Reminding me that I am trapped in these practical strait jackets until the earth awakens
Even when it is still too cold for the rest, I am out there reading the earth
Feet free at last
No artificial skins around them to cover and protect
Finally
Every day I will suffer the small loses to claim the prize of a lived life
I will not cover them up
I will not accept that it is only March and I should put something on
I will NOT stop myself from fully experiencing this world just because it will fade away
I will wish for the soft grass like salve on my pavement burnt skin again

Wood, warm and wise, whispers to me
Telling me stories from generations of old
The wishes and hush-toned secrets gathered in her warps
My toes navigate like reading braille
Oh to be a naked foot allowed to breathe
Granted the desire to search each crevice for bits of lives left behind

I do not need yoga to connect my mind and body
I just close my eyes and feel
I push against the earth and she pushes against me
This is what it feels like to be alive
I spread my toes in the dust of the ground
Dust of the earth to which I will return