No Sneakers Here Poem by Erwin Maramat

So he says walk a mile in my shoes;

to which I reply, I ain't got any!

Instead wear my soles hardened with calluses

for trudging through your obstacles

and the monotone spectrum of hopelessness

in the form of bruises.

Wear a pair of feet cut by jagged stones

and sharp intentions

springing over hurdles and running through red tapes that see no finish lines.

Before you get so bold, oh audacious sir,

as to walk a mile,

try crawling with raw knees over burning coal and broken glass and you would know why we cry over the lines etched on a ruler.

Walk a mile! Walk a mile!

... please.

—E.D. Maramat/Erwinism