The other shoe

Teaching from home, I went shoeless.
It’s my preferred way of being.
I’d put shoes on to
walk the dog,
get groceries,
go to the library, but
for over a year,
I was essentially,
barefoot.

When we returned to
teaching in the building, it was
socks
and shoes
everyday.
I chose my comfiest shoes,
being unaccustomed
to a full day of footwear.

But Spring is turning to summer
and the days are,
mostly,
warmer.
We’ve had some hot ones, too.
The AC in my portable is unreliable
at best,
so I have transitioned
to sandals.

Sandals bridge the gap
between barefoot and shoed,
between Spring and Summer,
between online and in person.

We have two weeks left.
I don’t know exactly
what I will be teaching next year.
I don’t know
which room I will be in,
or who I will be working with.
But I do know
that in two weeks,
I will be barefoot once more.