This poem, from my mother's childhood poetry book, Sung Under the Silver Umbrella (1936), obviously made an impression on me. I memorized it in 6th grade, when, between doodling pictures of horses in the margins of my notebooks, I doodled pictures of shoes. (And called them "shoodles.") It would not be inappropriate to consider If the Shoe Fits an homage to ffrida Wolfe. (No, she did not capitalize her first name.) I'd love to learn more about this early-century poet/writer; all I can find online is a book she co-wrote about Oriental Rugs.
CHOOSING SHOES
by ffrida Wolfe
New shoes, new shoes
Red and pink and blue shoes
Tell me, what would you choose,
If they let us buy?
Buckle shoes, bow shoes,
Pretty, pointy, toe shoes,
Strappy, cappy low shoes;
Let's have some to try.
Bright shoes, white shoes,
Dandy, dance-by-night shoes,
Perhaps a little tight shoes?
Like some? So would I!
But...
Flat shoes, fat shoes,
Stump-along-like-that shoes,
Wipe-them-on-the-mat shoes,
That's the sort we'll buy!
No comments:
Post a Comment