Went for a walk down the avenue,
Laughin' and jokin' like good friends do,
Long-Leg Lou and Short-Leg Sue.
Says Long-Leg Lou to Short Leg Sue,
"Can't you walk faster than you do?
It really drives me out of my mind
That I'm always in front, and you're always behind."
Says Short-Leg Sue to Long-Leg Lou,
"I walk as fast as I'm meant to do,"
"Then I'll go walkin' with someone new,"
Says Long-Leg Lou to Short-Leg Sue.
Now Long-Leg Lou, he walks alone,
Looking for someone with legs like his own.
And sometimes he thinks of those warm afternoons
Back when he went walkin' with Short-Leg Sue.
And Short-Leg Sue strolls down the street
Hand in hand with Slow-Foot Pete,
And they take small steps and they do just fine,
And no one's in front and no one's behind.
SHEL SILVERSTEIN
I read this poem and loved it instantly. Though I can't quite say that it was love. It was more relief, mixed with a hidden sadness and a sense of knowing what I didn't want to know.
You see...I was Long-Leg Lou for a long-leg time. I was with a person whose walk in life was just as fast as it was meant to be, and I was incredibly impatient. I felt as though I was "always in front" and he was "always behind." And to keep myself from going completely out of my mind with frustration that he couldn't walk any faster, I decided to make a change of pace.
And just like Long-Leg Lou, my sense of needing to take bigger and faster strides in life caused me to seek out someone new to walk with. And just like Long-Leg Lou, I walk alone now, and frequently miss the warm memories of my previous slow-paced love. But I'm hopeful that one day I'll find a man with a mind and legs as strong as my own. Legs that love to dance. Legs that can brace my weight at times and his own. Legs that love to go adventuring. Legs that will wrap themselves around mine. Legs that stand up for what's right. Legs that stand by me, no matter what.
I hope you have a pair of legs in your life that are perfect just for you.
Jess
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