It Felt Like an Old Shoe

It felt like an old shoe
The people knew me
The walls knew me
I knew all of them

I walked down the hallway
from the back door past the mail boxes
My arm lurched out
Just like it always had
But no mail or mail box.

I walked up those stairs
Just like I had done thousands of times
This time as a fill in

The concert hall was there in all its glory
It knew me and I knew it
I played and it played back

I went to the tuning room
where my first locker was
the room where all my old friends and colleagues
stood, laughed and warmed up.
The same room where the personal manager
came off the stage and said 32-1/2 years ago:
"Today the job goes to...Norman."

It felt like an old shoe
And then I realized why I needed new ones.