Just a Quick Workshop Exercise

    I attended a writing workshop by Shana Youngdahl in October, and one of the exercises she had us do was to write in five minutes an ode to a favorite pair of shoes. (or a nonfiction piece talking about your favorite pair of shoes if poetry is not your thing). I thought there would be no way I could come up with anything fast or interesting or meaningful. I mean, five minutes. It takes longer than that to make a cup of tea. Now you want me to craft a poem? And shoes. Of all the topics in all the world, you had to pick shoes. I do not like shoes. They are not my thing. I know there are some ladies and probably some guys out there that are turning away from me in disgust, but I do not have a huge collection of shoes. I buy them to keep my feet warm, dry, and hopefully pain-free. With my extra-large clodhoppers I inherited from my Norwegian ancestors, I find it hard to find shoes in my size (ladies 11...yes...you read me), much less ones that look cool or interesting. And to shop for shoes. Shudder. 

That being said, I did have a pair of shoes that I got for a friend's wedding and they were comfy and fit right away, (the straps were stretchy) and they were cute, like about two inch block heals with three stripes across the foot, open-toed. I apologize if I am butchering the shoe language, but again, I'm not experienced in that department. These shoes were cute and they fit and I could even go to work in them all day, stand all day at my job, and come home not crippled. So I thought, I do have a favorite pair. So my little poem is a nod to these shoes in my distant past. As I like to say, based on a true story. I hope you enjoy my silly poem. 

And let this be a lesson to you. If you think you don't have time to write, do it anyway. You don't need a lot of time. Just do it. Sit down and write something fun. Or write a letter to a friend. Or write a journal entry. Just get those juices flowing. You might be surprised at what you come up with. Here is mine: