The Girl in Blue Suede Shoes: a short story

the poem

A dark rainy day, lightness came through
and shone upon a girl reading the news.
She read in the rain with no disruption
to her or her blue suede shoes.

The next day she was seen again
Counting and sorting the leaves by twos.
She picked up a few, observed a few
and kicked off the few on her blue suede shoes.

The day after that when school was over
she was atop a branch, in a snooze.
She looked peaceful, blond hair wispy,
her feet dangling in their blue suede shoes.

She was considered strange, an outsider even
to the kid's at school she'd absently amuse.
Nevertheless, she'd smile away
heel clicking in her blue suede shoes.

The sky was dark when the bell had rung,
the rain flooded down to confuse.
It wasn't to rain, not today—
Where was the girl in the blue suede shoes?

Everyone searched in the rain that night
looking around for some clues.
The leaves were fallen, and the trees were missing
their girl in the blue suede shoes.

Years had past without a hint,
she was gone; no one she'd enthuse.
But one day in the tree, hung a familiar pair
of battered and worn blue suede shoes.

The boy, now in his middle school years,
excitedly took his two new clues.
He brushed a thumb along the toes,
missing his girl in the blue suede shoes.

High school had come, and the boy had found
another clue in the avenue.
He picked up the shoe, larger this time
and added to his shelf—the new blue shoe.

First year done, he'd found the twin
in a thrift shop owned by a man in tattoos.
He purchased the clue and found a pattern
of clues from his girl in blue suede shoes.

Second year he saw a pile of plump leaves
being pecked by birds humming their coos.
He shooed the birds and scattered the leaves
revealing four pairs of blue suede shoes.

The years passed on and the boy had grown
as did the many found clues.
The boy hadn't realized but he checked the size
and put on his own pair of blue suede shoes.

He felt alive in them like the girl must have
He counted the leaves on the trees in twos,
Danced in the rain when the rain poured down
and heel clicked in his blue suede shoes.

As fun as it was the boy was lonely and
missed his girl he knew he'd lose.
But one rainy evening, out the window was a girl,
dancing without her blue suede shoes.

The boy grabbed a duffle and emptied it out
and shoved in his clues by twos.
His heart beat faster as he raced out the door
to meet his darling and give her her blue suede shoes.

The girl and her leaf-tangled hair paused their dancing and stared,
drenched in both water and bemuse.
She stood before the boy, breathing heavily as he opened the bag of blue suede shoes.

She couldn't contain her smile at the beautiful bag she knew she'd never refuse.
The girl took the pair she eyed first
and, finally, put on her blue suede shoes.

The girl took the bag from the boy and set it aside,
while his face distorted in damp confuse,
she took his hands and they danced together,
them in their blue suede shoes.

the poem that began a story