I was always late to the banquet, <br />Or the fabled buffet ran out of food too soon. <br />The bridesmaid shoes dyed hot pink, <br />To match the dresses perfectly, pinched my feet; <br />Mine were three or four sizes too small. <br />But I had to wear them anyway because time, <br />You see, was running out; and where else, do you think <br />You would find that exotic shade of hot pink? <br /> <br />The wedding seemed to go on for hours; <br />And I had to stand still, in the front of the church, smiling <br />As the shoes devoured first my feet and then my ankles- <br />The cramping rose to a crescendo and never became less. <br /> <br />Later, removing the offensive shoes forever, <br />I knew that I would have no fancy wedding, <br />With specially dyed shoes, to torture another girl- <br />Because the clock would be ticking, <br />And where could you get that exact hue? <br /> <br />They never knew about my secret pain, <br />And the much-vaunted marriage dissolved all too soon. <br />But my feet miraculously remained unscarred, <br />They showed no marks from the crippling effects of the shoes. <br />It's strange how unbearable pain can leave no outward sign- <br />Except in memory- where it will always remain <br />That exquisite color, that is found nowhere else.<br /><br />Patti Masterman<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-hot-pink-shoes/
