Somber rain boots, lonely in the corner,
gathering dust in a dark room.
Outside, thunder boomed, rain
pattered against the glass window.
Lightning struck, and
if only for a moment the marbled pink
and orange rain boots lit up
before fading, blending back into darkness.
A memory echoed through the room,
it brightened the darkness.
The little rain boots lit up once again.
Happy feet padded up
and tumbled, stopped beside the boots.
Little hands took the boots
and shoved them onto warm feet.
The memory faded, blending back into darkness.
The rain boots waited
for the little hands and feet.
But the still feet could not
tumble to a stop, the echo of laughter could not
brighten the room, and the cold hands could no longer
shove the rigid little feet into the boots.
The storm continued.
The thunder boomed,
Rain pattered against the window.
The room grew darker.
The boots—dusty—slumped further into the corner.
The storm ended, the boots waited.
The boots sat, the dust grew,
and the little feet never came.
MaKady Mangelson is a fifth-grade teacher at an elementary school in Southern Utah. She is passionate about writing and expression through writing. Currently, her favorite poets include Moira Egan, Billy Collins, and Louise Gluck.
MUSEPAPER POEM PRIZE #67
* This will be the author’s first poem to appear in print. *
JANUARY 7, 2023 / MUSEPAPER POEM PRIZE #67 / "RAIN BOOTS" © 2022 MAKADY MANGELSON