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THE ONUS ON THE BIG TOE
THE ONUS ON THE BIG TOE
It is only the big toe that never agrees to fasting;
It has to support the body of the world like a Prima
Donna ballerina; no one speaks to the big toe.
The sole of the foot takes all the credit for support
But it is the big toe that suffers all the gout of the world;
It feels the sheet over my body more than other parts.
The big toe points us toward the world of so many
Longings; our name in this world is ‘so many”; we
All do a pirouette on our big toe around these longings.
For all of the brunt in life this toe takes the lead; it
Meets all obstructions like a blind man apprising what
Is within reach by constant collisions in the environment.
The forward thrust into the world leaves us disenfranchised.
The big toe only has one chance to get things right’; for all
Its ambition, it still suffers the consequences of regression.
Toe to toe like nose to nose is a familiarity that breeds
Contempt; unless one is not overcome by uncomely parts;
It is almost impossible for the big toe to be surreptitious.
