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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: PUT YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD (07/23/20)
Paralysis of Analysis

“Just put your best foot forward”
Said Sparrow, my advisor
But then she fluttered off again,
And left me none the wiser.

Maybe it’s because the bird
Has just two feet to think of.
But as a millipede, you see,
Madness I’m on the brink of!

Which foot could be my best one?
I must not judge unfairly!
But by what standard? Should I ask
Which walks most debonairly?

I roll onto my left side
And wiggle all my right feet.
And focus hard to judge between
The loose feet and the tight feet.

Roll to the other side now,
Evaluate the lefties!
And try to figure out which are
The “wimpies” and the “hefties!”

They all wave uniformly,
I cannot judge between them!
I’ll ask a more impartial judge
Who’s never before seen them.

“Hey, birdie, can you help me?”
Oh, I must have lost my mind!
That bird is eyeing me, and seems
Quite hungry, and unkind.

My countless legs together
Work as one, no competing
Quick as a flash, they make that bird
Forget millipede eating.

I’m hidden now, and thinking
All about my crazy quest,
And how I’ll drive myself insane
Judging which foot is best.

If I keep analyzing
Every nit-picky detail,
I’ll just go ‘round in circles like
A frightened cottontail.

Instead of going cross-eyed
Contemplating what I’ve got,
I’ll take my eyes off of myself
And walk by trusting God.
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This article has been read 416 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Stephen Kimball
07/30/20
Poetry doesn’t usually make me laugh. Good job!
Barbara Culler 
07/31/20
This was so cute and I love your title! Well done and I hope this places.
Sue Botte 
07/31/20
Probably the best poem about a millipede ever written, well done and thank you.
Verna Cole Mitchell 
08/02/20
Great fun! Very well done!
Debra Brand 
08/03/20
So creative and entertaining!
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
08/03/20
This is beyond delightful. With some tweaking I could see it as a picture book (from me that's one of the highest compliment I can offer). You paint brilliant pictures. I have two minor bits of red ink. The exclamation points are a bit distracting to me. You have a lot of them, but your words do the exclaiming so you don't need most, if not all. The other was a bit confusing at first. Since the sparrow is his advisor, one assumes they are friends. I get he goes to a different bird (one who hasn't seen his feet), but it took me a few reads to see that. Perhaps have a different natural enemy (Robin?) or a different advisor (butterfly?). These are little things though. I truly enjoyed this and think it has a great message, is a fun read, and made me think about several things (who we trust without thinking, how easy it is to overthink, and how important to trust in God). Outstanding writing.