July Sandals/Emily Buellesbach

The Sandals, worn-in faux leather,
Dirt sweated into the soles
That would soon
Bury the entire gladiator Sandal.
Her golden leg slips through, finding the bottom
Unknowing hands criss-cross the laces
As if it were a corset.
Up to her knees, beneath the brim 
Of her distressed jean skirt,
The Sandals, pinned against summered skin.
Weathered by the fragrance of her innocence.
  
The Sandals drift over a newly mowed lawn,
Overtaken by blades of grass that
Violate her freshly painted toes.
Moving along the docks, above the moonlit water, 
The Sandals bump into a trusty pair of cheap, stained Sneakers.
Following the trail of wet footprints into a closet,
Where the Sandals are creased as she bends down
To only help put away the lingering bottles.
Her eyes spot the cream Sneakers breathing down behind her,
As her skirt flips up to strip her shaken young body.
The Sandals are pressed, held hostage against the Sneakers,
Who are too strong for the weak soles of these gladiators.
Toenails scrape, leave marks against the leather,
As her voice shrills with cries and murmurs.

Left in a corner, knotted laces unraveled.
The Sandals sit alone, 
Slumped over one another.
A cracked cement floor,
Would be the end altogether 
As the Sneakers were the nail
In the Sandal’s coffin 
Forever.   

---

Emily Buellesbach is a Communication and Media Studies major. She is also on the Dance Team and is an Opinion Columnist for the SNC Times. Poetry has become Emily’s creative outlet to relieve stress and help her convey what she’s thinking. When Emily is not on campus, she is an Acro Dance teacher and works at DSW.