And what strange religion
Uses boots as traveling altars?
A lonely church at best,
Construction material and no foundation.
Brothers and sisters of the congregation,
We meet tonight in secret,
Just for dancing and a dream.
Uniform, holy vestments, on our feet.
Blessed mice, that leave their nests
To revel in their airy mousedom
Above a sea of straps and buckles,
Under strobelights and the smell of bootblack.
And in the morning we gnash our teeth,
Pondering the visions we have seen.
But in covenant, let no thoughts breach your mouths,
Only memory, the solidity of boots.
***
This was the result of an in-class assignment in my Experience of Poetry class. Assignment follows.
Inspiration: "My Shoes," by Charles Simic
Subject has to be "My Shoes." Four stanzas of four lines each. May NOT use any version of the verb "to be", for instance is, are, was, etc. You also must use each of the following words at least once: Religion, Church, Altar, Brother, Sister, Mice, Nests, Mouths, Tooth, Secret.
You have ten minutes. Give it a try, see what happens :)