An Old Pair of Shoes

Did you ever come to the parting point
With an old pair of shoes, that are outworn--   

Beyond fixing?  How you hate to part
With them, they fit so well,
As though they were made on your feet.
You can wiggle your toes in them,
For there is plenty of room.
Your feet have molded them with wear
To the right shape.
That little bump bulging on the side
Its the place that nestled your pet corn.
The thought of new shoes gives you the shivers
That corn--Oh! What new shoes will do to it!
And what that corn will do to me!!
"Ah Heck! These old shoes are good enough
                                    for another week."
by Henry Boulanger
in Cliff Dwellers and
other Poems

Cliff Dwellers

Both my parents were the children of immigrants.  They worked in the mills of Lawrence, MA.  When I was young, my dad brought home a chapbook of poetry, written by a fellow worker, Henry Boulanger.  I came across the book today and the very first poem brought back, oh so many memories.

Cliff Dwellers by Henry Boulanger

The block was long, dark and ugly.
In it existed many a family.
It was not low, but many stories high.
You could see full clothes lines as you went by.
Each person has his little corner to exist in
There you'll find some has-been.
They are of all Nationalities, in an alley behind
                                a street called Main.