“Wearing shoes that are too tight”

Shoes that gleam beneath the lights,  
Pressed leather, laces crisply tied—  
Yet soon they clamp with iron might,  
A shrinking grin my toes confide.  

At first, I stride with hopeful pride,  
But every step’s a whispered plea,  
For freedom that the seams denied,  
A gentle, aching mutiny.  

Each sidewalk slab, a test of will,  
The pinch that tells of style’s cost—  
Did fairy tales not warn me still  
Of comfort’s value when it’s lost?  

I dream of loosening the yoke,  
Unlacing burdens, sole and soul,  
To wander free, each step bespoke,  
Not cramped nor squeezed, but once more whole.  

So here’s to shoes that fit just right—  
The promise of a painless walk,  
And leaving, with the coming night,  
Two tidy blisters—side by sock.

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