Did you know that socks are the most sought after item of clothing in a homeless shelter? Apparently, socks are a desirable commodity worldwide.Β  According to one source: “The global socks market is expected to reach USD 44.8 billion in 2022.” Socks are a thoughtful gift item too: They suggest a personal touch and are usually not very expensive.

Even in Florida, socks are highly valued because they regulate the humidity of one’s feet in summer and keep them toasty-warm in winter, especially in northeast Florida.

Believe it or not, one poet has written a poem about socks, Pablo Neruda, “Ode to Socks,” an excerpt from which you can read here:

Ode to Socks

by Pablo Neruda

Maru Mori brought me
a pair
of socks
that she knit with her
shepherd’s hands.

Two socks as soft
as rabbit fur.

I thrust my feet
inside them
as if they were
two
little boxes
knit
from threads
of sunset
and sheepskin

He continues . . .Β 

Like jungle
explorers
who deliver a young deer
of the rarest species
to the roasting spit
then wolf it down
in shame,
I stretched
my feet forward
and pulled on
those
gorgeous
socks,
and over them
my shoes.

So this is
the moral of my ode:
beauty is beauty
twice over
and good things are doubly
good
when you’re talking about a pair of wool
socks
in the dead of winter.

During the course of the entire poem, Neruda exudes that these socks are so beautiful that he doesn’t even want to put them on and possibly ruin them!

 

My winter socks, a wee photo story

 

“I like long walks to the library,” say these socks.

 

Wearing socks contributes to a warm and fuzzy feeling, one which the Danes define in the wordΒ hygge,Β which I describe with photos in an earlier post.

 


 

For a limited time during this season of giving,Β I’m offeringΒ Mennonite Daughter: The Story of a Plain Girl with special pricing, the deepest discount ever.

$3.99, Kindle e-book, in colorΒ  Β  Β  Β $8.99, paperback


 

How do socks bring you comfort?

What other item of clothing offers warmth and coziness?

Are you planning to give socks to someone as a holiday gift?