14
Beautiful Soles
by Acadia Barrengos
High Heels.
When you stand, you’re tall.
But, don’t try to walk or run - you’ll never make it.
Her first pair a memory never to be forgotten or thrown away.
yellow, strappy sandals with small
sparkles
that shift color in the sun
She can now see beauty, she can admire it.
When she puts them on she can see the beauty in her.
When she puts them on she can feel the beauty in her.
They see it too.
They want to feel it.
Feeling her beauty means feeling her power.
Maybe that’s not a good thing, she learns.
She puts the heels away.
Luckily, she can choose when she wants to be looked at.
Some girls can’t.
This time she doesn’t wear the heels.
Even though she feels ugly without them, she dances and laughs,
And they look.
Her joy surprises them, grabbing their attention.
She doesn’t need to be outside pretty for them.
They’ll look anyway, she learns.
She made it about beauty, but it’s not.