I kept them in the original box--
the white patent leather shoes.
Never had I seen anything so grand.
It didn't seem to matter,
that I was dressed in tattered clothes,
and my hair a tangled mess.
When I put them on, I felt like a princess
with every twirling step;
magically transformed into someone else--
a confident girl, sure of herself.
I was ready for the stage; a talent contest loomed.
My mother fixed my hair,
she combed, and curled, and sprayed;
then I donned my best school dress,
the one that had no holes.
My iridescent shoes led me up and up,
to a platform as the velvet curtains drew back.
I took my place, under the twinkling lights,
sure that the shoes had brought me there,
sure this was where I belonged.
Taking a deep breath, I sang the song;
the audience joined in the familiar tune.
Applause ensued, and then, again!
Suddenly, my plain school dress was a satin gown,
bejeweled, and I, wearing a crown.
I remembered to curtsy like a princess,
when the blue ribbon was given.
Was it me, or was it the shoes?
I say it was a little bit of both.
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