Sestina of Blue Shoes
by Karen Melander Magoon

The girl's new blue shoes emulate the sky
She hops upon them, laughing at the birds
Who seem quite undisturbed by her quick steps
Discussing with their songs which tree to seek
Or where to peck among the cracked grey tiles
Beneath the hopping toddler's blue clad feet

Upon the toddler's tiny tapping feet
The blue shoes place patches of sky
On cracked and rocky awkward rough hewn tiles
Beneath the conversations of the birds
Who peck continuously as they seek
For seeds and crumbs that scatter from her steps

And dancing with her dainty bouncing steps
She marvels at the quickness of her feet
That turn and twist and twirl as they seek
To please their only audience, the sky
Or just perhaps the fluttering, swooping birds
Who hover over child and shoes and tiles

And watching over shoes and child and tiles
The sky observes the birds making quick steps
And noting the sweet prancing of the birds
She sees a dance oblivious of feet
And laughs at sun and blue that cloudless sky
Herself the sky herself the joy they seek

And in the joy of blue and blue they seek
The scratching on the rough and cracking tiles
Becomes a whirring breathlessness of sky
Embracing all the scene and all its steps
The toddling princess blue shoes on her feet
Waves happily and proudly at the birds

The sky observes sweet steps and feet with birds
Who chatter back at the young friend they seek
And seek to chatter at her blue clad feet
Dancing and prancing on the rough hewn tiles
Blue shoes and chubby legs making quick steps
A minuet of blue in bluer sky

And toddling princess laughs up at the sky
And at the birds whose feet make such quick steps
As they seek but to dance upon the tiles

 

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