[second version]
They're pudgy, failed claws,
private nubs that often
go public. We encase them
like jewels, divas, or prisoners,
let them out for fresh air
only sometimes. The curling
of toes, one knows, is
a practice that migrated
from branched peoples
hanging around long ago.
When people say, "Kick up
your heels," they seem
to mean nothing.
Heel/toes, heel toes:
onward the masses walk hard
on hard urban surfaces.
It's the economy, stupid.
Our dogs is tired,
our gods are remote,
this is the greatest age
of toenail paint,
and I am the owner
of a hammer toe,
a hard name for a
soft undertow.
hans ostrom 2015/2021
