Once pink flatties, now dark and dingy grey
Dental floss and pink threads fraying in disarray
Leather patches and pleats worn flat and thin
Knotted elastic, cut short and tucked in
Folded over, crunched up and carried in a bag, pocket, or pouch
My once perfect ballet slippers are now pretty well trounced
The threads of the canvas at the toes are now bare
A hole has begun and continues to wear
But as I pull on each shoe before my next class
A delight lights my face as I realize at last
The holes in my shoes are from hours on the floor
From brushing and moving and dancing galore
The holes in my shoes give me joy through and through
Even though I realize a new pair is in view
The holes in my ballet shoes whisper a secret
The holes in my shoes say this dancer’s legit!
THE 109th BEAD 
Definitely a mark of your street cred, m’dear! Mine are still too new.
Hysterical the things that become our badges of honor, hahaha! Hugs for many healthy days of dancing in your near future! X X
I like it! Look forward to the day when my first pair end up in this condition………….x
It’s really funny how excited I was when I realized that I had actually worn holes in the toes of my shoes! Feels kind of awesome to have evidence of all that hard work! Cheers to wearing your shoes out! 😀
Lovely ‘Ode’. 🙂
Thank you! 😀
Loved it, very nice 🙂
I am so happy because I can see that mine are going to get holes real soon, I can’t wait until it’s really visible! I know I’ll need a new pair then, but it’s like you said above, a badge of honor. I will never throw this pair away, I’ll keep it forever!
That’s awesome! I’m still wearing mine, I love them even more now that they each have a small hole. And it’s really amazing that other dancers understand the feeling of joy that a hole in your shoe can bring! 😀