Walk a life in my shoes

These are not the feet

that once, brown and bare,

ran on soft beach sand,

and climbed old trees.

These are not the feet

that, laced into football boots

or tennis shoes, ran and ran

on muddy fields and wooden courts.

These are not the feet

that, encased in rubber boots

or leather ones, covered miles

on field trips, or in sheep paddocks.

These are not the feet

that, enclosed in shiny black shoes,

walked the halls of power,

the lecture rooms of academia.

No, these are the feet

of an old man.