I was an actor

I was going places

I stepped up into the shoeshine stand

in the lobby of 30 Rockefeller Center

up high where important people sat

In my youthful hubris

I knew this is where I belonged

I vowed I’d never shine my own shoes again

This was almost true

for a certain period of time

but this oath proved to be premature

An alternate island called to me

No need for shoeshine these days

where I live

no shoes required

I wear slippers