Shoes

Ambiguously a tribute to someone I know. I thank her everyday for what she has done, and what she has sacrificed.

They keep the shoes,

The shoes worn years before

By feet unknown,

In an intermodal container

 

Filled with blue suit jackets

Blue shirts

Blue Dress pants

Blue garrison caps

And shoes

That smelled like soft paper

With soles worn

And leather scuffed

Having walked the same places we walk

 

We all wore them

Those shoes

And pretended to be something

Which was far too real

To play pretend about

 

For me it was pretend at least

 

But for some it wasn’t

Some would get shiny new shoes

Smelling of antiseptic

Worn by none, but them

Cold

Having never walked anywhere at all

 

And she would have to walk in those shoes

Much farther than I ever had

Than I ever could

 

Across hot pillars of sand

Underneath the punishing sun

And a rain of artillery shells

Her only relief

From those shoes

 

We were too young for those shoes, I think

We were too young to pretend

That any of us were ready

For shoes such as those