Soul/Sole Mates

I have prettier feet now; gone are the calluses, the bunions and all the scratches I’ve accumulated from walking too much around the university or running four flights of stairs in time for my 7:30 class. I have prettier feet now, prettier and fairer feet because they are hidden from the sun; enclosed in laced up boots, warmed in sheepskin, protected from the cold. And even in the summer months when the weather permits my feet to glide into open-toed shoes, sandals and slippers, my feet don’t gather too much dust, barely enough to warrant that I’ve been out. Rarely are there places for my soles to feel the earth. Mostly I step on concrete, hard, impersonal just like the people that roam the streets. Yes I have prettier, fairer feet but they are cold, lacking the warmth of a kindred sole/soul.  I wish I could walk with you again, what I’d give to dip my feet into the grimy streets of busy Manila where people push and pull and stomp on you. Making you feel miserable yet alive.