A Jogger runs away from the world around her. |
Red Shoes Flaming red tennis Shoes With tripping shoelaces And a tongue that sticks out too far Passes an elderly gentleman you see everyday The one that carries a pole with rags wrapped around The top, his flag, that old man, the relic of the past. Cast off like a pair of shoes. A man picked up a pair of red sneakers, with yellow stripes: Shiny like a racecar. “Slick,” he told his twentysomething girlfriend— Assistant. “Nice,” she agreed. Purred. The woman pecked him on the lips before he plopped down in his silver Double XX chromosome magnet. “Shoes, shoes. Where are my shoes?” “You can run after work.” “I have plans after work.” The girl finds the red shoes and slides them on her feet. The roommate watched the other girl jog out the door. She runs Past the stop sign The little yellow house with the little red doghouse That yapping dog The meowing cats See the girl run Run, run, run Past the rats Past the roaches She runs too fast, gone too far. Concrete, steel, and stench of urine Tell her time to go back The red shoes retire in the laundry bin. She slides in a red teddy, opens two bottles of beer Waits for the call that will inevitably come. |