The Other Man's Shoes

The Talker says much, too much -though he's friendly,

And in saying so much, he is often unwise -

He starts to tell lies without even knowing,

And unlike The Thinker

He’ll tell without showing

 

The Thinker thinks first before opening his mouth,

Is full of ideas, understanding, and life -

Though he hasn’t a wife and is smitten with poverty,

Not like The Tailor

Secure in his property

 

The Tailor has money, respect, and a lawyer

But with all the monotony, life is a bore -

Long before he had this, he’d no worries but freedom,

The Tinker has time

To relax in the tedium

 

The Tinker just poodles along through the rat-race

Undisturbed by the business of human noise -

He toys with the world but has never evolved,

He’ll never be The Winner

While he stays uninvolved

 

The Winner takes all and has all he wants

But will only take more if he’s given an inch -

Then he’ll pinch him a mile with a tinge of regret,

That unlike The Failure

He has no respect

 

The Failure has always more left he can live for

Though insidious doubt deep within him is packed -

He’s backed more losers than he cares to remember,

But unlike The Beggar-man

Cannot surrender

 

The Beggar-man wanders the world as his oyster

No one can touch him but he never finds pearls -

He just curls-up in doorways against the night’s ravages,

With The Spy who’s on duty

Mocked-up like the savages

 

The Spy sees them all - The Tinker, The Talker,

The Winner, The Tailor, The Failure, The Thinker -

And he’s blinkered to them, for he’s secretly anyone

But deep down inside

He wants to be one of them

 

The Talker, The Thinker, The Tailor, The Tinker,

The Winner, The Failure, Beggar-man, Spy -

All eye one another, each searching for clues,

As to why they should envy

The other man’s shoes.

Reviews

[A.Lee]

I really enjoyed this piece. I loved the message and the creative way you brought it out. I loved how you started off each stanza and then ended it by saying "unlike (insert person)" and then went on to talk about them. It really shows how everyone has a flaw and we're always looking at someone else, envying the other person. But that other person has flaws too. Its an endless cycle. I think you did a superb job on this one. 100% from me.

[R.S. Wilder]

A beautiful rendition - and an absolute favorite.

[ashley]

This is great. Kinda long, but so good. Great job!!

[MissWordSmith]

what can i say? another great write. there's only one word that fits the last stanza.. that word is fantastic. seriously, i loved it.
i loved how the whole poem boiled down to that conclusion.
this was a smart, witty, well written piece.