the follower
of any stripe
believing in
the mystics
magicians
or messiahs
this believer
of the magic touch
in saints
yogis
or gurus
the divine insights
of jesus
or the buddha
somehow better
than the divine insights
of the celtic druids
of the egyptian priests
or the oracles of greece
or the sibyles of rome
no matter his beliefs
and disbeliefs
this modern day disciple
always wears
mismatched shoes
his supernaturalism
his metaphysical
his fantastical
the mukluk on his left foot
while
his realism
of medicine
being better than prayer
for curing ills
and the realism
of ignoring a wrong way sign
on a freeway entrance
having critical consequences
treating those as something
more than
mere illusions
more than just god's will
or a consequence of
transcendental enlightenment
that keep the car
on the road
and going the right way
this realism
his mukluk
on one foot
paired with
the supernatural
the mysticism
of an air jordan
a football cleat
a leather oxford
a cowboy boot
an adidas flip flop
a clown shoe
either laced
or slipped on
the other foot
but
this clever
clever
disciple
with his selective realities
always quick to proclaim
how any pair
of matching shoes
cannot match
every situation
how chuck taylors
are worse in snow
or mud
than the hiking boot
he sometimes wears
neglecting to recount
willfully
the kung fu slipper
he pairs with
that boot
this clever
clever
disciple
criticizing
the imperfections
of matching shoes
in order to ignore
the idiocy
of his own
mismatched shoes
looking the fool
knowing he's the fool
not only by fashion
but the awkward stride
that pairing a clown shoe
with an ice skate
proclaims
but reassured
by the fashions
of all the others
in a ballet slipper
of god's will
matched with
a glistening black stiletto
of his own will
or
a roman sandal
his belief in mortality
that keeps him awake
paired with
a snake wrangler's boot
his belief in some afterlife
of heaven or nirvana
or eternal recurrence
this footwear
an awkward pair
that still
doesn't sooth his slumber
or allow him to rejoice
rather than mourn
at the funeral
of someone who's led a long
and productive life
through all the challenges
and choices
he had made
but
that fashion's
still better
limping around
believing and disbelieving
wanting it both ways
but never having it
that's better
than any normal stride
in matching footwear
that gets you where you need to go
with the occasion slip
the occasional wet foot
and blister
loosing your balance
from time to time too
but perhaps
less often
in matching shoes
rather than
an armored horseman's sabaton
paired with
a roller skate
slipping and falling sometimes
but mostly getting where we need to be
more subtly
less conspicuously
than with outrageously
mismatched shoes
traveling
in mostly boring comfort
with boring style
and boring utility
so long as we've chosen
the right pair
suitable
to the boring conditions
of another
mostly boring
but okay
day
where a laugh
a song
sometimes a kiss
or a held hand
each possesses
enough glory
to make the next day
worthwhile
mrobins71 