Prints

she can still remember sitting up there
up where she could see endless seas and possibilities
up there where she understood her value
it was in those moments
spent on his shoulders that
she realized her worth

two bodies making one set of footprints
redundant mental picture shows flash images
images of the world from his vantage point
memories of secure exposure

when he put her on the ground
her feet brushed against a reality
she wasn't ready to face
forced to walk ahead leaving smaller prints in her wake

the indentations left by his feet become a vividly distant memory
and though many have tried to imitate that shoulder-top experience for her
no one has ever been able to duplicate his prints

spectators say that those prints should fade
his...his...his...theirs...hers...his....hers...theirs...
but as she walks, those should-be-fading prints seem to multiply
and she doesn't complain because they protect her

but as they shut out the loneliness and fear, angry faces and sinister smiles
they shut out caring hearts and open arms
so she chooses to walk alone with her head held high
surrounded by hundreds of footprints that left no impressions

signed,
me