Without the hat
you don’t seem so tall,
or maybe it’s just my boots,
the three-inch heels thick
as my tongue feels whenever
you speak to me.
You say: nice boots,
as we pass in the hall
and I keep walking
the way my sister showed me years ago.
Before she left for college
she taught me how to walk
in her old prom shoes.
First the hallway,
then the stairs
in those silver and rhinestone
t-strap sandals.
All summer we listened to Purple Rain
while she instructed me: Heels first
and keep your toes straight.
Chin up.
You gotta make it look easy
no matter how much it hurts.
— Heels by Heather Abner
