SPT 2/21/06: the good, the bad, and the shoes

"the LAST thing i need is
another pair of maryjanes," i said
to my cousin as i slipped on
the cutest black mesh ballet-looking maryjanes.
i also tried on (and bought) these and these.

i arrived home,
and went to my closet to
put my treasures away.
i opened the door
and stared blankly
at the lack of space for
the new additions.
it was then that i
realized that
this obsession with footwear
would have to be the subject
of my next post for
february's challenge.

the next day,
i decided to line up
each pair in our hallway.
i dusted off my
ten-year-old dr. martens
and placed them next to the
6 other pair of boots.
i counted 13 pairs of sandals,
8 various types of red shoes,
4 blue,
2 purple,
1 pink,
22 black,
18 different types of maryjanes,
6 pairs of comfy clogs,

60 pairs of shoes, total.
not including the 9 pairs of flip-flops
and 2 slippers.

"is this so wrong?" i thought
as i tried on my wedding shoes and
tiptoes through my memories,
each shoe reminding me
of a vacation,
or girls-day,
or a special someone who
gifted a pair to me.

paul walked down the
hall of shame
and teased,
"if i lined up all of my shoes
heel-to-toe,
they wouldn't even make it halfway
down this hallway."

he is right.

i took photos while
friends stopped in and
gasped, marveled and
shook their heads.

packing them back into
their little boxes took time.
i stashed away my gluttony
and closed the door,
once again in the closet.