afoot

i used to be concerned

about my feet 

in the dirt and 

wear and tear

of the summer barefoot months

even then

i knew

princesses had feet

soft and delicate

to float amongst clouds

a sign of privilege

later, i longed 

for

a natural sole

toughened 

i wanted to be a boy

to run across pavement

crawl though imaginary jungles

of prickly weeds

maybe all i want now

is a new pair of heels

(still size six)

to prance about in

that i can kick off

to burrow my toes

in the mud

after rain