Here's a silly little poem I wrote today, thinking about the joys of bare feet! It's a bit on the long side, and I'm sorry if there are any errors - after all, there's such a thing as poetic license and English is not my mother tongue! A young boy once lived on a farm, but shoes would only cause him harm! Every time he set out on a venture, wearing shoes seemed like torture! His parents would sometimes demand that he wore shoes he couldn't stand! They were met with swift rejection, the boy would provide an objection! His foot wouldn't touch a sneaker, for it would make his foot weaker! All shoes were promptly dismissed, and they surely wouldn't be missed! Socks only increased his misery, he despised all kinds of hosiery! Socks quickly gained a bad smell, with shoes they belonged in hell! Walking barefoot felt much better, his soles were as tough as leather! He jumped gleefully like a hare, delighted that his feet were bare! His childhood was filled with fun, for in his bare feet he could run! All farm chores never felt like woes, as long as he could wiggle his toes! As his feet pressed bicycle pedals he never wanted to wear sandals! He swore to never wear flip-flops for barefoot pleasure never stops! It would bring the boy such glee to scramble up the tallest tree! His lanky legs could freely swing, to branches would bare toes cling! The village kids thought he was mad, but that didn't upset the young lad! He dismissed their frequent mocking, it was as worthless as a stocking! Shod children's feet were suffering the plight of incessant sweating! He thought it was against all reason, to submit his feet to such a prison! On a meadow his feet were dancing, in tall wet grass they were prancing! Morning dew washed away his sweat, up to his knees were his legs wet! Upon a ploughed field his feet trod, the young boy marched unshod! His feet would land with a thud, squishing the soft, sticky mud! Paths strewn with puddles galore, a gift from summer rains of yore! Splishing and splashing was a joy, the finest pastime for such a boy! He trampled through mucky bogs, and he didn't wish for any clogs! Mud felt very slippery underfoot, but he would reject a rubber boot! He took his cows off to the pasture and didn't mind stepping in manure! He would often step in a cow pat, bare feet didn't fear a bit of scat! Other kids challenged him to a race, but couldn't match the boy's pace! As the farm boy's bare soles struck he seemed faster than a young buck! And on those muddy forest trails other kids were as slow as snails! Weighed down by heavy boots their feet tripped on tree roots! He could even sneak up on a fox without wearing shoes or socks! Young feet with nary a slipper, footsteps quieter than a whisper! He walked through snow and sleet, nothing really bothered his feet! The cold never gave him any pain, he ran barefoot in freezing rain! Going barefoot he was truly free, his feet on display for all to see! Never was he too tired to play, bare feet made him feel so gay! A shoe is truly an accursed thing, only sadness will it ever bring! Now the farm boy is a young man and still a devout barefoot fan!
Now that's really high praise! I think poetry could be particularly useful as means to inspire younger generations to go barefoot. If more kids were introduced to the joys of barefooting by reading a whimsical poem in school, a few brave young souls might even come to realize that shoes aren't really that great or necessary at all!