The inspirational poem "Footprints in the Sand" has hoofed it to Brooklyn federal court, where the estate of the supposed writer is suing two others who also claim authorship. The son of Mary Stevenson, who died in 1999 and was said to be the author, argues that he's being ripped off by two women who have copyrighted - and allegedly made millions from - his mother's beloved work. The poem describes a dream of a walk on the beach in which the author sees two footprints in the sand - hers and God's. The high-minded sentiment has descended into low-brow kitsch - adorning everything from coffee mugs to key chains. Stevenson's son, Basil Zanagare, wants the court to stop the other women from claiming authorship. Carolyn Joyce Carty of North Carolina and Margaret Fishback Powers of British Columbia, Canada, claim to have written slightly different versions. Stevenson claimed to have written the poem in 1936, when she was 14 years old. She didn't copyright it until 1984. "I have not infringed on anyone's work. I wrote 'Footprints' in April 1963," Carty said via e-mail. Powers could not be reached for comment.

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