Old Shoes

On the one hand was familiarity. She had spent very many years with them, good ones and bad, and there was comfort in knowing exactly what to expect.

On the other hand was potential. Her potential waiting to be unleashed. One more go at defining her self; who knows if she would ever be given another chance to grab hold of life.

But the old shoes came first, and to this immutable fact she was bound. They, too, were once the centre of attraction. Slick and lustrous to behold, velvet to the touch, and cushy to the sole. Adorned with the most exquisite lace and beadwork.

Fate decreed that she had to lay her eyes upon that unassuming display. They offered her only fixation and unceasing bewilderment. It was not so much their appearance as the connection that was compounded within her. It encroached upon her heart and locked her emotions. Her will was left defenseless against its beckoning.

She couldn't recall for what reason she decided to put them on. And then it triggered an insuperable urge to pursue. For a while, this splash of excitement seemed to confer infinite strength. Her brainish recklessness she mistook for courage.

All of a sudden she was afflicted with quivering anguish. Except the crash back to reality didn't split just her head. Her frustration, like the pressing wind, was flaking her spirit, and as she crumbled layer upon layer, her head tugged urgently for riposte.

She couldn't recall for what reason she decided on habit over vindication. She had chosen now. At least there was solace in the commonplace. Moreover, it wouldn't be considered sacrifice. Those darling novelties exuded in appeal, and would certainly gather no lack of admirers. But if only she hadn't tasted their goodness, then perhaps what you don't know you can't miss. Yet how could she forsake the past in its faded glory? After all, she was quondam too.

********Epilogue********

Dedicated to she who has impacted more lives than one.

It was for what once was that what now is. And as much as I am grateful, I concede I really shouldn't be. You know, moral justice is but a social concept. Recognize that you don't have to be; or at least, I hope you no longer are.