Douglas Durkee

Emily’s Shoes

are the first thing I notice each Tuesday
when I see her. I am not sure why but
they remind me of bowling shoes and
my eyes are drawn to them. She has

on a tight fitting tee tonight. I don’t
notice the particular colors but bowling
again comes to mind and I make the
connection with her shoes. I am

thinking I must be a weirdo because
a man who is at the beginning of middle
age is supposed to notice more interesting
things about women. I close my eyes

and envision her in a bowling alley with
a boyfriend who drinks beer by the pitcher
and smokes Camels. He growls at her to
move two boards to the right and she

will hit the pocket every time! My eyes
move to her face now and I decide
these images are more than grossly
wrong. Likely if she knew a

man like this she would turn around,
flip him the bird, and possibly even
knee him swiftly in the groin! Looking
at her hands I see a woman with a

copy of Flower and Garden on her
nightstand. Maybe a handful of books
on New England colonial gardening
on her bookshelf. She is wearing Oshkosh

overalls and a snug white tee and walks
in her bare feet. She is in her yard which
has very little lawn and is full of plants.
The yard is cluttered yet neat, and I

see iris, nasturtium and sweet peas. A
St. Joseph’s Coat rose meanders over
a wire trellis. In the back is a vegetable
and herb garden with a single vine

of Rouge Vif de T’emps pumpkin. She
likes these because they are known
as the ‘Cinderella Pumpkin’. She
is thinking, “I wonder if I am a weirdo...”


Douglas Durkee is an emerging poet living Caledonia, Michigan and works as an elementary school custodian. He has been writing off and on most of his life and now that his nest is empty feels it is time to find an audience for his work. Thus far he has appeared in The Foliate Oak Literary Journal.

 

Current Issue:
January 2011

James H. Duncan
Douglas Durkee
Taylor Graham
Michael Keshigian
Richard Luftig
Timothy Pilgrim
Bill Roberts
Jari Thymian
Kelsey Upward
Margaret Walther

Home