A Closet Full of Shoes

How did I not know that Shel Silverstein has a poem called "A Closet Full of Shoes?"  It must have been in the book I didn't have, but I found it today while wandering around looking at other stuff and now I share it with you:

Party shoes with frills and bows,
Workin’ shoes with steel toes,
Sneakers, flip-flops. And galoshes,
Brogans, oxfords, satin pumps,
Dancin’ taps and wooden clumps,
Shoes for climbin’ shoes for hikes,
Football cleats and baseball spikes,
Shoes of shiny patent leather,
Woolly shoes for winter weather,
Loafers, rough-outs, sandals, spats,
High heels, low heels, platforms, flats,
Moccasins and fins and flippers,
Shower clogs ballet slippers…
A zillion shoes and just one missin’--
That’s the one that matches this’n. 

It might not be my favorite of his, but I still love it, and it's about shoes, so of course I need to know it!  Now in honor of one of my favorite authors, I give you the poem visually (and with commentary):

Party shoes with frills and bows.  These are VERY froofy!  I think Fancy Nancy and Pinkalicious would approve.

Workin’ shoes with steel toes.  These might be the cutest steel toed shoes I've ever seen.

Sneakers, flip-flops. And galoshes.  Turquoise!

Brogans, oxfords, satin pumps.  I've heard the word brogan before, but never really thought about it or looked to see what kind of shoe it was.  So now I've learned something new!

Dancin’ taps and wooden clumps.  I don't actually know what wooden clumps are, but I figure wooden clogs make a clumping sound when you walk.

Shoes for climbin’ shoes for hikes.  I'm terrified of heights, but the green is pretty.  You know, for climbing walls not higher than 5 feet or so.  Love the hiking boots. 

Football cleats and baseball spikes. I like the colors.  That's about all I've got on these.

Shoes of shiny patent leather.  You know I love these.

Woolly shoes for winter weather.  So snuggly looking.

Loafers, rough-outs, sandals, spats.  Again, not sure what rough-outs are, but I thought worn-in cowboy boots seemed appropriate.  Also, I think spats are cool.  Weird, but cool.

High heels, low heels, platforms, flats.  I would wear all of these.  Of course, I'd only wear the platforms if I was really drunk and bowling, but hey, they're bright!

Moccasins and fins and flippers.  3 things I really never wear and don't have much desire for, despite the pretty colors.

Shower clogs ballet slippers.  Who wears clogs in the shower?  These were the closest I could find because trust me, you do NOT want to google the phrase "shower clogs," especially if you're like me and the sight of hair in the drain makes you gag...

I probably spent way more time on this post than I should have, but oh well, I need some entertainment in my day.  Especially today as I've felt yucky all day.  Just weird tummy issues, but I'd really rather be home in bed than at my desk.  Thankfully I have Shel Silverstein and shoes to help be through the yuck.

Memory Lane: 2013. 2014.

Needto

I love Shel Silverstein's poems, and have been thinking a lot abut this one lately:

Whatif
from the book "A Light in the Attic" (1981)
Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I'm dumb in school?
Whatif they've closed the swimming pool?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there's poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif I don't grow talle?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won't bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems well, and then
the nighttime Whatifs strike again!

I've always liked this poem, and always identified with it.  The nighttime Whatifs definitely like to sneak in and annoy me regularly.  But lately I've been having the morning Needtos.  They don't rhyme, but they go something like this:

I need to get up.

I need to take a shower.

I need to go to the gym.

I need to eat better.

I need to bathe, feed, take care of the puppies and dragons.

I need to run xyz errands.

I need to do laundry/clean the bathrooms/vacuum, etc.

I need to work on THE LIST (the hubby's project, and believe me, it warrants the capitals)

I need to write a blog post.

I need to update the financials.

I need to call xyz, etc.

I need to return 8 million e-mails. 
I need to have a normal sleep schedule.
I need chocolate.
I need to stop eating chocolate.
I need to give up caffeine.

I need to organize the filing system.

I need to clean and organize all of the closets.

 I need to figure out what happens next, job-wise.

I need to figure out my life.

I need to get healthy--mentally, physically, spiritually.

Anyway, you get the point.  The needtos start out simply enough and then get more complicated until I'm thinking crazy things like how I need to save the world from zombies (hyperbole, people).  There aren't a lot of  wanttos or gettos on my list, I've been noticing.  So then I add more items to the needtos, like I need to make more space for the things I want to do and I need to start thinking of things as "I get to" instead of "I need to."  It's kind of exhausting, but I haven't figured out how to make it stop.

And it has nothing to do with shoes, so let's look at some, shall we?  I know I've done floral shoes before, but flowers and cheerful, and this post needs some cheerful, don't you think?  I've blah-blahed enough already today, so I'll let you peruse the shoes with no commentary from me.