There’s something in the air
And I have to go
I look down, slowing down
My feet
I look down again
When did this happen?
I see my mother’s feet
Big, wide,
Flat feet
Not particularly pretty
No model’s feet
Toes a little crooked
A bump here, a callus there
The beginning of a bunion
On the right side
Just like my mother’s
I look down again
When did this happen?
Sturdy, farm feet
She used to say
Built for working in the fields
Solid, grounded
Moving forward
Firm, caressing the earth
No nonsense
No time for skipping
No hurry, steady,
dependable feet
She sailed from home to
a new land
Stepping onto foreign soil
no familiar sights, no familiar smells
She walked strange streets
Her feet firm, brave
Reliable and fearless
Carrying heavy loads
Wide feet, spreading safely
Balanced and can-do feet
Always moving
Stretching far and long
With purpose
Through the early hours
Of the morning
Till the last footfall
Of the family in bed
Stepping softly to not disturb
Always finishing to the end of darkness
I look again
Walking with her stories,
seeing her world
carrying her dreams,
My mother’s feet
I look down again
When did this happen?
May, 2012
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