I haven’t shown a poem in a while, but that’s mainly because I really haven’t come across many. But today I have a brand new one by fellow barefooter Chris Billings. He’s from near San Antonio, where you’d think it does get all that cold.
That just means that when it does cool off, the people there are even more aghast at seeing somebody barefoot.
So, courtesy of Chris, here is “On Barefooting in Cold Weather”.
Aren’t you cold, she asked,
walking around in your bare feet?
Nah, I said, it’s not cold
it’s just an absence of heatBut your toes are turning colors
that’s a bad sign, don’t you think?
Not to worry, they’re doing fine
they’re just a healthy shade of pinkI appreciate your concern
but, really, I’m not a barefooting fool
when they get cold I cover ’em up
like gloves, I use shoes as toolsWell, what about frostbite?
doesn’t that worry you a bit?
Of course it does, but I don’t think
it’s gotten quite that cold just yetSo you’re telling me, when you walk around,
your feet don’t feel a chill?
Don’t be silly, of course they do
there’s no magic “feet stay warm” pillAgain, trust me, I know my limits
I didn’t kick my shoes off just yesterday
this is a lifestyle choice for me
not merely a game I playYou’ll catch cold, you know,
unless you give your toes some heat
That’s an old wives tale, you know,
you can’t catch cold through your feetSeriously, it’s really more about comfort,
in extreme conditions I know what to do
so, please, let me worry about my own feet
and I’ll leave your feet up to you
That’s very nice. I’m going to share it!
Very nice indeed! I wholeheartedly agree. I’m not some magical creature, unaffected by the cold. Feet are just good at adapting to temperature 🙂 They are often the least cold part of my body in above-freezing temperatures.