No socks greeting by Carrie Peters.
Okay, let me see your feet. Are you wearing socks?
If so, take them off immediately! Today is No Socks Day!
That’s right — a special day set aside to help the environment by doing a little less sock laundry. Happy toes, here I come!
Nope nope nope. You won’t find any socks here today. Not a one.
But there is this: I’ve had socks on my mind ever since I read Kristy Dempsey’s Poetry Conversation with her husband last month. She sent him a copy of Pablo Neruda’s Ode to My Socks, because he’s a person who relishes comfortable things. Do you know Neruda’s poem? I’m sure no one has ever described socks so eloquently. In fact, they sound so unbelievably exquisite, I doubt he could have gone without them today.
*
ODE TO MY SOCKS ♥
by Pablo Neruda
My dream socks (by resorta 425).
Maru Mori brought me
a pair
of socks
which she knitted herself
with her sheepherder’s hands,
two socks as soft as rabbits.
I slipped my feet
into them
as though into
two
cases
knitted
with threads of
twilight
and goatskin.
(Rest is here.)
Apparently, after reading the poem, Kristy’s husband kept thinking about those socks, along with a few other things he really loved: his pen, his pajamas. But then, he surprised Kristy with a poem of his own, à la Neruda:
ODE TO MY OFFICE CHAIR ♥
by Demps Demsey
Sam Walton brought me
a leather office chair
crafted by the sandpaper hands
of nickel and dime Banana republic laborers,
one chair
like a big friendly bear.
I slipped
my butt into it
as if
into
a billowy cloud
covered
with the fabric of
fog
and supple Italian leather.
(Rest the rest here.)
Pretty cool, no?
FOOTNOTE:
photo by vanderwal
Just because we’re not wearing socks today, doesn’t mean we have to go without soup (sacrilege). In fact, socks all over the country, freed of their podiatric obligations, have been assuming other guises and living it up:
Sock puppy sniffs out some veggie soup (photo by canndy).
Argyle bunny gets in on the action (by canndy)
Okay, now remember: in case anybody asks you, you DID NOT see any socks here today:
photo by sockmonkeyfun
The Poetry Friday Roundup this week is at Anastasia Suen’s Picture Book of the Day. Do you think she’s wearing her socks or cooking them?
photo by francescabrown
“If it weren’t for women, men would still be wearing last week’s socks.”
~ Cynthia Nelms
I laughed out loud at “Footnote”. I don’t know if you intended for that to be a joke but it was funny.
And Demps is happy you linked to his poem! I’m off to exercise and THEN to take my socks off.
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I almost never wear socks — but today is going to be rainy and chilly and I have a cold. Maybe next year?
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Such a fun post! I especially love the part in Neruda’s poem about the “mad impulses” he resists. 🙂
I’m afraid no socks day will have to wait here in the Northeast… at least till it warms up this afternoon!
(I wonder what wastes more water: washing socks, or my daughters washing their bare feet at the end of the day… 😉
Janet
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Glad you liked my Footnote :D.
Yay for Demps! That must really be some chair . . .
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Almost never wear socks? How could this be? What about the cover of your novel? Sigh. I hope the ones you’re wearing today are striped, colorful, and a little wild.
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I live in the Northeast, and at this very moment, I’m not wearing any socks. Why not bare your sole this afternoon? 😀
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beauty is twice
beauty
and what is good is doubly
good
when it is a matter of two socks
made of wool
in winter.
Seriously. We have forty-five mile and hour winds and pouring rain today, and my feet are encased in wool socks AND wool-lined slippers, so I can’t celebrate with you today, but I really love that socks elsewhere are taking the day off to be cute elsewhere.
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Tanita Says 🙂
(Oops, that was me.)
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I love Neruda’s poetry.
This was a great post!!!
Angela Cerrito
http://angelacerrito.blogspot.com/
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Wow, it sounds so cold over there! Still raining, too? At least we’re seeing some sun today. Hope it warms up so you can go sockless sometime soon :).
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Glad you enjoyed it!! Thanks for stopping by to read. 🙂
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no longer random commenter
yay, I hate socks, yay for no socks day!
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I did not wear socks today, even though I didn’t know about the holiday. I think it’s going to be warm here and I wanted it to be… even though the library is freezing and my toes are cold right now.
I am knitting my mother a pair of socks for Mother’s Day. Only one is finished so guess what I am doing on Saturday? 😉
I love your sock dolls. I’ll pass on the sock soup though.
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P.S. I love that Neruda poem and keep it in my knitting basket.
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Re: no longer random commenter
Here’s a toast to your toes!
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I LOVE that you’re knitting socks for your mom, and that you keep Neruda’s poem in your knitting basket. Perfect!
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Oh, I love that poem! And, in spite of today’s bare feet, I love all those socks.
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from Laura @ Author Amok
Hi, Jama! A friend hand-knitted a pair of socks for my birthday this year. They are delicious and always make me thing of this poem! My students are working on simple odes this week, so I love the office chair ode!
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:)!
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Re: from Laura @ Author Amok
Lucky you to have received some hand knitted socks this year. And it’s fun to read/write odes praising ordinary objects.
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Consider them knocked
My socks are off! The sock puppets and soup: hilarious!
I was just talking to someone about socks she’s knitted.
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I’m always impressed with how much thought and care participants into their posts. I’m usually scrambling.
This is so much fun. From poetry to photos, you made me smile. Thank you.
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No socks here. Love the poem selections!
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Great post and poems. And WHERE do you find those pics?! 🙂
No socks here. Of course, the holiday happens on a day when I have to go out of the house, but it’s warm and sunny enough that sandals will do just fine!
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Re: Consider them knocked
Yay!! A sockless blogger :). You can just toss all your socks in a pot and make some soup now.
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So glad you enjoyed this sockless post. Thank you for stopping in and smiling :D!
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Why I’m shocked! What would Jane say if she knew your feet were bare . . .
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You California people and your sandals! Free feet = free thinking.
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NoSocks!
My neighbor says he can always tell when I’m going someplace very important because I put shoes on…I tend to live my life barefoot. So, no socks AND no shoes for me today!!!
Thanks for the Neruda poem – don’t you love these lines:
I resisted
the mad impulse
to put them
into a golden
cage
and each day give them
birdseed
and pieces of pink melon.
(I think the photo of your “dream socks” do look just like tropical birds!}
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Re: NoSocks!
Those really are great lines — the birdseed and pink melon! Ah!
So now you’ve revealed yourself as the barefoot poet — what a bohemian! 😉
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Such great reading (and photos) at your site! Sandals went on this morning, and now that I know about No Socks Day, all the more glad to have made that decision!
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Thanks for visiting, Martha. Enjoy the warm weather and your happy feet :).
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Dang. I missed No Socks Day. However, we had our Multicultural Celebration at school yesterday, so that was a No Regular Schedule Day, which is at least similar in spirit, if not footwear. LOVE Neruda’s Odes (I kept reading down the page). Maybe my next form of poetry to try…
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No Schedule Day sounds like fun. I like Neruda’s odes too. It’s interesting what subjects/objects he chooses to praise.
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I loved Kristy’s poem too! Love what you did with the theme.
And me, it has to be really, really cold before I put socks on. Barefoot girl here.
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Yay! I kinda hate wearing socks.
Jules
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Thanks, Susan. Another barefoot contessa! 🙂
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Don’t tell Pablo that 😉 …
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I did not know it was No Socks day on Friday! Luckily it was nice enough to wear sandals anyway! I can’t wait for more no socks days!
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*imagining you dancing in your bare feet* 🙂
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