Kit Kelen #1315 - trompe l'oeil (live in a shoe)

1315

trompe l’oeil

for Oscar Balajadia

live in a boot

some ogre tossed

nail stuck through

and we tied it on there

there was an old woman before

beat her kids, nasty

some ogre must have beat her before

rumour anyway

long gone, the lot

just me in the shoe now

they’ve all cleared out

doesn’t smell like old socks

not anymore

I live in a shoe

way way past the ends of the road

place is over-the-rainbow far

you wouldn’t know the creatures

and you can’t remember here

bury my head

nobody sees

all in pyjamas here

no time in a shoe

but the years have gone by

it’s like you’ve arrived

here we’re as far as feet could fly

just me

the shoe is full of pictures and books

imagine an age of giants and anger

toe hole for a door

piano staircase inside

wild colour

everybody’s dreaming

pants all on fire

do you think it was something I said?

take out the laces

and a breeze comes through

of course it’s fresh in winter

some days cupboard bare

dew damp

shuffle up close by the fire

many among the living won’t see

seems like an accident but it’s not

picnic behind

big party last night

some said that old woman

was merely a mouse

there’s a broom chase

up to the top of the clock

and there was the case of the carving knife

it’s a retirement village

everyone here’s got the boot

guess it’s just me

I’ll probably kick the bucket with this

extraordinary luck they tell me

to live in a shoe like this

it’s where I write the poem

paint the picture

draw inspiration

sing, I play guitar

people see just a boot

if they anything at all

but you can tell

can’t you

where I’ve vanished?

how the road goes on

without we two

I live in a boot

don’t you?