a Contessa went barefoot once*
in a touch of inverted snobbery
Hollywood’s requisite razzle-dazzle
at times we have all downed our shoes
there in the sand to run against the grains
or discarded killer heels after the first dance
barefoot conjures carefree
more often though it is just beggardom
hardening the soles
soldiers strip the dead for boots
going hell for leather on their long march
hungry enough to eat the hide
*“The Barefoot Contessa” (1954)
For this week’s Poetics, Kim has given us a A closet full of shoes
PoetryPix 
I liked the association of “barefoot” with “beggardom” rather than “carefree”.
yes that was a timely reminder for me
That last stanza reminding of everything with war… so,chilling
strange how we both chose a facet of war for shoes
I remember that film, Ava Gardner and Humphrey Bogart – a classic. My favourite lines have to be:
‘barefoot conjures carefree
more often though it is just beggardom
hardening the soles’.
not the best of their film roles but this light-footed start makes for the contrast – great prompt by the way Kim
Thank you, Laura.
Dark side to boots marching…weary and battle worn.
The dark side won this time!