I am a man
shoeless roaming
foot pads
like leather soles
well worn
all weather
off road traveler
changing direction
wandering
a rugged trail
forked in opposition
to what once
I envisioned
a destination
certain

which path
to choose?

I am a trail blazer
through thistle
and buckthorn
garlic mustard
and reed grass
over red clay
Al’bama backwoods
New O’leans bayou
Miss’sippi mud
‘long the river bank
stuck deep once
upon a childhood
sojourn gone long
far ‘way from home
sinking
quicksand low

how do I unfix
dis’ hea’ jam?

I am a journeyman
apprenticed to
St. Christopher
Khonsu
and Mercury
earning my keep
by beating those feet
let no moss grow
before I go
between boxcar
buttressing myself
by singing the blues

“now my companion trav’lin /
away from me / loved a woman /
she was some good company /
but now i’m leavin / walkin off /
without my shoes / i say i’m walkin /
hope these toes don’t get too bruised”

I am a pedestrian
standing
in a crosswalk
contemplating
signal
destination
and direction
perhaps
i will know
before the light
changes again
and I am forced
to go one way
or the other.