Work shoes

The sneakers I’m wearing
Aren’t even cute
But they’re cushiony on my feet
And they’re tucked
Under my desk all day
Anyway, so most people

Don’t notice there’s a person
In the office wearing
Casual shoes on a Wednesday
They just see my cute
Blouse tucked
In to a black shirt, feet

Not visible to the boss who walks a few feet
Away from my desk, or other people
Walking past me to tuck
into their lunches, wearing
high heels and wingtips - sure they look cute
But those poor feet have to spend all day

Cooped up. All day
uncushioned. All day with feet
In uncomfortable yet cute
positions. The people
on Capitol Hill are wearing
only the best-designed button-ups tucked

In to matching suits, argyle socks tucked
into the fancy shoes that, all day long,
They walk in and wear,
Mobile prisons for their feet,
Thousands of uncomfortable professional people,
Looking put-together and cute

But those toes won’t look cute
forever, always shoved and tucked
Into fancy contraptions. When these people
Take off their shoes at the end of the day
They’ll see bumps and knobby feet,
Sore because of the shoes they wore.

All the working people, Monday through Thursday,
Keep their outfits cute and their toes tucked
While my feet cozy up in the sneakers they are wearing.