My Father Cares Not For Flip-Flops

He says, without protection, my feet

Will fall prey to the elements of daily life.

And while I hold him in the highest regard,

Flip-flops remain my faithful sole.

I believe my father worries my feet,

So exposed, will become ugly, as are his.

The ugliness is enough to put me in tennies forever,

Save that I know he has never donned the accursed flip-flop,

And still his feet look so.

So instead, I risk the ugliness and apologize.

While my father is among the wisest of men,

He knows not of comfort, nor heat, nor style,

And so, on this issue, we bump heads.