Shoe haiku

Red baby sneakers
left hanging in the garden.
How long will they last?

Submitted by Carla

Shoes of Goodwill

There are so many stories here, some sad and probably some neutral.
I somehow feel the good stories are the ones that will come with
the purchases. Warm weather is coming — sandals abound. And white
ones. Once, a social rule said you shouldn’t wear white shoes
before Memorial Day and after Labor Day. Good Heavens. I don’t
know if there was a pink rule or not, but probably only May Queens
and bridesmaids.

Submitted by Jody

Shoes in the Parking Lot

These shoes ride along with me when I steer one of the mowers at my
mother’s and they are with me when I pick my way through the slush
of spring. A lot of the time, I stick them in the back of the car and they
ride along in case there is some car trouble and I have to walk. Here
they are on my feet while I lean against the trunk of the car, waiting
for people to return from an appointment. Sometimes I stare at the
shoes I'm wearing, but this is the first time I have looked at these for
an extended period of time. Now I wonder if they have been looking
up at me.

Submitted by Jody

Kurdish girl with family shoes

From the scrapbook of Buy Shoes, Save Lives, which sells handmade Iraqi shoes called klash. 100 percent of the profits are used to pay for heart surgeries for Iraqi children.