A girl can dream
of stepping out
on the High Road,
a flame in heels
that’ll steel no beau’s
heart. What laces
each ankle in place
she’ll turn to take
his fancy and he,
blood pressure rising,
will let her lead and whirl.
“Red Shoes, ” acrylic on board, by Nicola Slattery. Used with permission. © Nicola Slattery. Poem by Maureen E. Doallas, author, Neruda’s Memoirs: Poems.
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Try your hand?
Write a poem of your own, based on the painting by Nicola Slattery or choose a line from Maureen’s poem as a starting place. Post on your blog and link to us (we love that), or just drop your poems here in the comment box.
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Maureen is an editor at Artist Watch and Escape Into Life, as well as the author of Neruda's Memoirs: Poems.
Latest posts by Maureen Doallas (see all)
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Melissa Rubio says
Very beautiful 🙂
L. L. Barkat says
Love the flame in heels 🙂
That artwork is marvelous!
Maureen Doallas says
Thank you for reading and commenting.
I like so much of Nicola’s art; this piece could go so many ways. It was fun to come up with a poem invoking the effect of red shoes.
Monica Sharman says
And you did it so well, Maureen. Those are the reddest shoes I have ever read.
Maureen Doallas says
Thank you so much, Monica.
Grace Marcella Brodhurst-Davis says
Red Shoes
At the heart,
a little girl’s dream,
standing high
in heeled red shoes,
takes her miles
into her light
where she is
neither shelved
with those shoes
society imposes,
nor toppled
off the pedestal
status builds
Rather, with each
balanced step, she
rules the stars
that twinkle in
her mother’s eyes
http://gracebrodhurstdavis.blogspot.com/2012/09/red-shoes.html
Maureen Doallas says
Thank you for stepping out with us, Grace.
Grace Marcella Brodhurst-Davis says
Thanks, Maureen. I really enjoyed your poem. Loved Nicola’s artwork too.
Deborah says
You achieve a lovely playful lightness here, Maureen! And the illustration is perfect – a winning combination.
Lexanne Leonard says
I love the sound of the tango in this poem, Maureen. The artwork is beautiful. Inspiring images in both pieces.
Maureen Doallas says
Thank you so much, Lexanne.
Lexanne Leonard says
Mixing a little NPR in with TweekSpeak. I love all the inspiration the muses share so freely. Thank you.
http://leximagines.com/2012/09/22/kismet/
Maureen Doallas says
Dorothy gets around! Thank you for sharing your poem.
Deborah Batterman says
Just So Many Shades of Red
Click your heels three times
and you might find yourself
afloat in a dream landscape
glittering with ruby
Or maybe it’s being swept
off your feet that you prefer,
a fiery castigada
in a tango ballroom
Sure, you can still slip your foot
on occasion
into that scarlet suede peep-toe,
just the elevation you need,
or kick up your heels in kitten pumps,
even if they’re no match for the pair,
red as red could be,
that got you through the better part
of your twenties,
neither too low nor too high to take you
anywhere
Just so many shades of red –
rose/scarlet/raspberry/crimson
lust/folly/flame/maroon
Tuscan red
Chinese red —
only one the true fit, the right shade
to lead you
home
Maureen Doallas says
So delighted you took your turn in red, Deborah. As many styles as there are shades!
For those who might not know, Deborah is the author of a wonderful collection of short stories, “Shoes Hair Nails”:
http://deborahbatterman.com/?page_id=43
Tracey says
Red satin tied
Toes wrapped
En pointe and fluttering
Over the stage like
A butterfly’s wings
Moving, enticing, exhilarating
Leaping and turning
Slow then fast
I cannot stop
Until, the applause
Thudding like my heart
Filling up my soul
Then the shoes come off
They’re red on the inside too
From my blood
Maureen Doallas says
Tracey, thank you for your poem. I like how you’ve tied the red of the satin ribbon to the body’s energy in the beauty of movement and also to the physicality of the bleeding caused by wearing the toe shoes. Anyone who’s ever seen a ballet dancer’s feet understands that image.
Nicola Slattery says
Lovely poems – Tracey’s poem makes me think of the original Cinderella story and her sisters cutting off toes to try and get their feet into the shoe. Hope my work will inspire more poems. I like the quote “Painting is silent poetry, and poetry is painting that speaks.” Simonides
Please take a look at my facebook page – link from my web site. Thanks and congratulations on a good choice for president!