for J.B.
I am a shoe in need of a right-sized foot. I ache
to have him slip inside me, wriggle his toes
comfortably as I walk with him everywhere.
No one would know how much I love him.
I know each crack of the cement ahead of me.
Each story of my past would surely break
my mother’s back if she knew what I’ve done.
The feet in my life would trample her heart.
I am a shoe softened by fuzzy socks
that keep me warm and dry inside on
days that chill and nights that pour.
Each time a toe nudges me, I reawaken.
I am a shoe ready to itch from athlete’s
foot. Secrets that shouldn’t happen did.
I should be kicked every which way, but no,
the grass forgives me everything I am not.
A journey you’ll never forget.
ROAD WORK AHEAD: Poems
In his fourth poetry collection Road Work Ahead, Raymond Luczak sets out on a turbulent journey after ending a 15-year relationship. As he meets kindred souls on his travels, Luczak wonders what it means to love again. He opens the suitcase of his heart in far-flung cities and points beyond. His poems, pungent with musk and ache, will open yours too.
