one day sale

I stood there looking upon the throngs
of shoes, mountains of them
piled one atop another,
no order or
structure in their lives,
twins who were together at birth
now scattered among strangers.

I stood there and gazed with wonder
at how I was ever going to make a
selection, how was I ever going to find
a pair of shoes to replace my
five-year old,
now hole in the sole,
bottom ripped out,
scuffed pair of my own.

The men surrounding me were like
mad octopuses, with hands
reaching in all diretions
grabbing and pulling at everything
in their path. And I stood there,
motionless, waiting
for the moment of madness
to subside, until I could reach out
my own hands
and take a pair for myself.

And when my turn finally came,
I grabbed from the shelf
brown, leather shoes
with a thick rubbery bottom,
went up to the counter,
paid and took them home,
only to find that my new pair
of shoes were two different sizes.