Converse

Converse

Converse All-Stars are engaged
in saintly work. They cradle feet.
They take up our unwieldiness
and plant us flat on the pavement,
paint us with plainness, help us
notice our feet less so that we
can walk more naturally. Age
does the same thing for us,
the longer we navigate our bodies,
the less likely we are to crash
into others without leaving
a note, an apology, the formula
for antimatter. Converse is the brand
of youthful resistance to
behaving. Behave, we have all
been scolded, as if there is only one
way to act appropriately.
Converse, the brand
of willfully not committing
to a singular purpose. Shoes are
purpose converted into textile,
canvas, rubber, leather, metal.
How do we plan to get anywhere.
We talk our bodies into acting
how we’d like them to
in the language of clothing.
How beautifully we converse.