Poetry: Ich hatt’ Alte Kameraden

 

Goodbye my old friends. You’ll be missed.
But we have no ways to keep you all
held together. Your time has passed.

We all get old. If we’re lucky, we live
purpose driven lives of building memories. Yet,
wear and tear take an unrecoverable toll.

For so many years, you’ve held it together for me.
All nights and all days, when I called, you provided
me with comfort, support, and security.

You took beatings on hot days, the soakings
of untold rain and freezing weather in three states,
absorbing blows and poundings meant for me.

You guided my way on many paths of life,
through dust or mud, up ragged hills, through raging
flood waters of life, you gave your self for me.

Now your hollow dismembered carcass must go.
Leaving only podophilic memories for soles
to recall in gratitude for your long support.

We have harvested your organs, internal and external,
hoping to preserve your memory and to provide
transplants for younger, stronger soles soon to follow.

Were we a military unit, we would give you a medal
for valor and service. Governments would give you
citations for long dedicated self-sacrifice.

Thank you for your service. Old sneakers never die.
They just wear away in a soft squeaky whimper.
My feet, toes, and ankles salute you both: Comrades!

(21 foot-stomp salute!)

Bill Reynolds 10/18/18

Run through the jungle looking both ways and minding foot gaps, slips, and trips.

24 thoughts on “Poetry: Ich hatt’ Alte Kameraden”

  1. Great tribute to your downtrodden sole-mates, Bill. This one snuck up on me (question: are retired sneakers called snuckers?). I love the echo of the original German song honoring fallen comrades in arms—that gives this poem a poignancy that makes the humor even more endearing. All thumbs and toes up!

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  2. Well played, my friend. You had me going there for a bit😜 I know the pain of parting with beloved walking shoes! And the pain of breaking in the replacements. Here’s to many more miles with new comrades!

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  7. Pingback: NaPoWriMo 2024, Day 9, Ode to Shoes – Our Literary Journey

      3. Right. So I couldn’t help myself and I perused the Google: December 2016) Shoe-throwing, or shoeing, showing the sole of one’s shoe or using shoes to insult are forms of protest in many parts of the world. Shoe-throwing as an insult dates back to ancient times, being mentioned in verse 8 of Psalm 60 and the similar verse 9 of Psalm 108 in the Old Testament.

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      4. Well there ya. Religion!

        Why am NOT surprised. Now if we could only get them to adopt that practice again instead of guns, bullets, and bombs.

        And yes, I recall being taught to keep both feet on the floor when I lived in such countries.

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