Shoes

sturdy, dancing, & lightweight

for hiking, travelling, work, & play;

high-heeled, smooth-soled, steel-toed

Shoes

as comfortable, common, & tough

that support, pinch, bind, or rub

Goody-two shoes

Walk-a-mile shoes

Give-the-boot shoes

Waiting for the other to drop

Or,

dozens & dozens & dozens

of brand-new, white soled

canvas shoes –

tongues & laces lolling –

heaped, mounded, & piled

in a small mountain

of implied choice,

& not a matched

mate among

them.

— C.Birde, 6/21