A Pair of Shoes

Because I am an overachiever, I decided to extend my Ekphrastic poems into the month of May. I have never attempted to translate the emotion from paintings, drawings, sculptures, or other visual works of art into words. The challenge will require me to dig deep to tap into the passions such works of art create inside a person. Most of what I write will be speculative. There will be times when I will place myself into the mind of the artist. Still other times, I will express the emotions I experience gazing at the work of art. If I get creative, I might even tell the story from an element within the artwork. This Ekphrastic poem is based on a painting by Vincent Van Gogh entitled A Pair of Shoes.  

A Pair of Shoes

I found them at a flea market

And wore them in the mud and rain.

A simple pair of laborer’s shoes,

Made of leather uncomplicated and plain.

I painted them with precision.

A picture of the rough road,

I walked upon in life.

It wasn’t a piece of startling news,

To learn about my shocking incision,

The incident when I cut off my ear.

I supplied the fodder for the gossip’s whisper,

While I carried around my heavy load,

Filled with delusions and insanity,

In shades of soft browns and aqua blues.

While trying to preserve my artistic dignity,

Until it all became a ghastly blur.

I sailed above the upheaval with angelic precision,

Into a stary, stary night,

Leaving behind this world of turmoil and strife.

Who is Molly Shea?

Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh.  To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.

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