The skin of the shoes is
Rough
Wrinkled
Weakened and
Worn 

The years have exhausted the seams that stitch the pieces together
The threads are frayed
And splayed
No longer youthful like before
The way life tests man’s limits
And breaks his hope
Leaving only the debris of what was once whole

The hardware of gold
Is used and abused
With scratches on the plaque
The way one might itch his indulgences
And pleasures
His sins
Not able to be cleansed
But imprinted
Forever tainting the soul
The way temptations
Drag a man down

The buckles at the ankle
No longer serve a purpose
For the straps secured around the ankle
Have been cut
No longer needed

And the heal
Once dazzling
And exposed
To date-nights
And a girl’s-night-out
With all the secrets
Shared between friends
Holding all the tears
From bad break-ups
No longer on display
But shoved in a box
At the back of the closet
Hidden from view
And eventually forgotten