Concrete Underneath My Feet

I enjoyed Gilman’s longing for losing her shoes. Though, when I think about running barefoot, I think about how I would do it as a child in my small town. When I moved to Pittsburgh there was a sort of displacement. A lot more concrete, a lot less grass and forests. There’s not a lot of grassy places to walk in the city (and where there is there’s usually garbage of some sort), so I focused on that. However, the quad is always there when I really miss that feeling (Unless it’s mud season, of course!).

 

Concrete Underneath My Feet (inspired by Where’s the Grass Between My Toes? By Hannah Gilman, 1966)

This is the city now– I must remember.
Can’t step on a crack, can’t go out in the street.
I long for grass on my toes, no shoes on my feet,
But tar runs hot and broken glass creeps.
See those heat waves. The sun’s so high!
The concrete looks smooth, but small rocks lie.
Confined to my boots, the cars pass me by,
I’m in the city now. I must remember!