Teesta Review: A Journal of Poetry, Volume 2, Number 2. November 2019. ISSN: 2581-7094
Destiny is a Pair of
Leather Shoes
Trying them on for the
first time
is unsettling. A
discomfort grows
suddenly apparent
despite the soft
fabric of socks you’ve
had for years.
The stiffness of the
leather
presses like shackles.
You squeeze the other
foot in,
rise for that first
step, then another,
seeking a balance
between moving
forward and bearing the
pain,
imagining destinations.
Who would be there
looking
at how you stride or
stand?
Pausing as you glance at
other pairs,
you wonder which one
you would rather end up
with,
how long before you get
used
to wearing such borrowed
skin.
No shred of thought
someone other than you
might one day remove
them.