There’s nothing quite like an old pair of boots

Shaped to fit so comfortably through

Shared sweat, wear, and use

Trusted companion, tried and true.

There’s nothing quite like a new pair of boots

Shiny and bright in the sun like a promise

Together of trails yet revealed

You’re so eager to wear them again.

The old pair kept shiny

through tender love and care

That scuff there’s a memory of mountains

You wouldn’t trade in

The new pair so pretty

Unmarked through time

No matter how comfortable

Not yet broken in.

The old pair needs work

To keep them whole

Resoled, rebuilt, time and again

It takes care and effort to make them last

The new pair needs wear,

Shared experiences and time,

The course of a lifetime of

Care and polish to maintain the shine

There’s nothing quite like an old pair of boots

You damn sure wouldn’t trade them in

There’s nothing quite like a new pair of boots

Who knows just what’s to come?

3/3/10