Getting my Feet Dirty

I like walking barefoot
and feeling the earth
under my feet
and between my toes.
Whether it's damp soil
embracing the memories
of my footprints
after the rain;
Or dried earth,
caked up from too many
parched days,
screaming for water
with a crack
at every step I take;
Or simply the coarse
grains of sand
that surrender to the
heat of the sun,
so that my burning feet
must seek solace in
a shady patch of ground. 
Whatever it is,
I like getting my feet dirty.
Shoes don't let you listen
to what the earth has
to say.