All movement stemming
from foundation and root
Angles, arches, and bows
Pointe and flex, bare or boot

The first point of contact
And last to release
Punished severely
And cared for the least

Travel weary, bone bruised,
aching tender from use
I've rarely, if ever,
Payed mind to pay dues

Pour chaque pas ils m'ont ému
je pourrais aimer mes pieds plus

From the author:

I wanted to add a couple notes about it. I've been thinking about my feet a lot lately, since I use them so much and they're often SO sore. I also had my first pedicure for the first time in a very long time recently and realized just how much I neglect one of the parts of my body that I rely on more than almost any other throughout the day. I've also been having some real ankle trouble this week, which has had me thinking about how I should work on showing my feet a little more gratitude before they get pissed off and quit on me. That's what my motivation was.

I also want to explain why the French in the final lines (my sister made the point that it seems a little "douchy" without understanding why I did it). One reason is that I associate ballet with the idea of showcasing the potential beauty of the foot and French with ballet. The other main reason is that, in my mind, the words "foot" or "feet" in the English language do not conjur feelings or associate images of beauty and I wanted to continue with the indirect approach to the description of the feet that I began with. I felt like using the French for "feet" was a more roundabout and prettier way to end with a direct statement about these lil old stompers.