Red Patent Plastic

Red patent plastic
Scuffed at the heel
and the big toe on
the right shoe
A thin layer of dust
along the inside
The pressure of a foot
grinding this compilation
of organic ashes
ever farther into
well-worn fibers
Oh, the dischordant harmony
of man-made materials
and history in a medium of backyard
Dirt
Blending the facets of modern existence
Rendering them inseparable
Nothing remains of the purity.
Twenty-first century dirt, muddied
By hoity toity patent plastic.