Saturday, July 23, 2011

She was tall


A blind date:
all my friend would
say was that she was tall,
he used the word statuesque.
I bought a corsage, rented
my tux, polished my black
dress Cole-Hahn shoes.
Statuesque didn’t quite
do her justice; we danced
only once, people laughed,
she fled. All I ever found was
her aluminum shoe outside.
The corsage might have been
too small.

This poem is submitted to the Saturday Poetics prompt, On Your Feet, at dVerse Poets. You can read the prompt here; you can see other poems submitted here.

The sculpture in the photograph is by artist Victoria Fuller, and is composed of 2,000 aluminum cast shoes. It sits at the entrance of the corporate headquarters building of Brown Shoe in Clayton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis (and the county seat of St. Louis County). Brown Shoe’s leading brand is Famous Footwear, but it is known to tens of millions of Baby Boomers as the manufacturer of Buster Brown shoes.

27 comments:

Maureen said...

Love this. It's perfect for the image.

Just shows how much fun art can be!

Louise said...

Very good...fits the image perfectly! :)

Anonymous said...

Sort of sad...but what a great take on the prompt.

Brian Miller said...

ha. ok i thought it was funny at first imagining her playing for the lakers...but the madefun of does hit hard...i know that feeling...

Anonymous said...

Playful yet compassionate, nice take on the prompt.

Mark Kerstetter said...

Maybe you should set her up with the tin woodsman. If the shoe fits...there's somebody for everybody...I'll stop now.

Anonymous said...

clever take on the prompt.I like that shoe.

hedgewitch said...

Loved it Glynn. The woman who could wear that shoe would be beyond placating with corsages, I think.

And where is the dog? They can ditch Buster Brown, but ditching his dog is just inhumane.

Tashtoo said...

Oh my! You guys are making me smile today! What a fantastic image, and the write was fantastic. (Not the being laughed at part...but so perfect for the picture!)and the prompt...Loved it!

Valerie Kamikubo said...

Very delightful... made me smile.

Anonymous said...

creeeeAtive!

Anonymous said...

oh...and i remember "red goose" shoes. pull the head of the goose down...like a lever on a slot machine...and get a golden egg.

Linda said...

What a great take on that photo Glynn. Love it!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful imagery - I felt with you :)

Scarlet said...

Isn't it so nice we get to read different versions of the prompt?

At first I laugh at your story, then I felt sorry for your date. And I like that pic and info; thanks for sharing it.

Anonymous said...

Very funny poem. That shoe is in the St Louis suburb of Clayton. Are you from around here?

Patricia said...

Can you hear me clapping?! What great fun you had with this =) Terrific!

Unknown said...

This was awesome. I loved it, and that's a really cool pic, too. :)

Jerry said...

Ha. I can just picture you hugging her ankle as she swept you off your feet!

JofIndia said...

Cinderella - with a twist...
It's good to see you in playful mood, Glynn. I'm still smiling!

Unknown said...

Fantastic prompt image to play with. I remember seeing that shoe in my time in Missouri good to see again years later in poetry. Clever write ~ Rose

signed...bkm said...

A great Cinderella take here...with a growing large Alice in Wonderland - are you sure it was a date...sounds like a dream...I hope she did not step on your toe...bkm

Beachanny said...

Speaking as a girl who towered over her mother at 7 and went for years thinking she was a giant, only to move to the city (Dallas) and be told I was just "average" height, I think I can place this blind date...squarely in the 8th grade. Yep that would be 'bout right!
Great write Glynn, thanks. Gay

Pat Hatt said...

haha wonderful play off the image, very fun read.

Timoteo said...

You're reaching new creative heights!

(Oh my God, Buster Brown shoes...)

Ann Grenier said...

That shoe is a scream, Glynn! Poem, comic with a bit of tragedy too I guess. Enjoyed it.

Cheryl said...

What fun!