abandon shoes in poetry

abandon shoes
and feel the earth beneath you
or the rock
or tile
or wood
you are a part of the world
whether you like it or not
whether it likes it or not
you come from it
you're going back someday
and you're stuck there
you're anchored here
embrace it while you can
this feeling of the weight
on your soles against the firmament
it won't be that way forever
abandon shoes and remember
you're alive

abandon ship
the goddamned thing is sinking
always has been always will be
everything is sinking
today or tomorrow
or in ten thousand years
everything will sink
feathers gold
hearts and lead
so abandon ship instead
the water will not be your tomb
the water was your mother's womb
and it will be again
abandon ship and remember
you're alive

abandon burnt-out dreams
abandon silent screams
abandon old abuses
abandon tired excuses
abandon the vast feeling that
you can hold onto things forever
if only you can wall yourself off
from the real
with computers with teevees
with shoes from the earth
with ships from the seas

the grass is lovely
the water's fine
abandon fear
while there's still time
and live