He holds me in his arms and cries
For all that he has left behind
For all that life has given him
And for the woes he feels within
I listen to him and I try to feel
The emotions that are all too real
To him, to me
And I try to see
What binds us here together
I try to see the shoes he wears
I try to see how they fit and feel
The soles are thick and bent in weird places
The leather thin and riddled with holes
I try to see them on my feet
I try to walk and see how they feel
The stiff and uncomfortable way they fit
The discomfort that they cause
I try to feel each burning spot that will surely turn out blisters
I try to feel the tightness around the toes where the leather has not stretched
I try to feel what he feels and I try to fully see
Why these shoes have caused him pain and how he feels such agony
I feel the soles and leather there
but I know this is a different pair
And although I try my best to see
I know that this cannot be done by me
I cannot clearly understand
I do my best to emphasize
To let him know that I care
That shoes will break in and start to wear
We can make patches to fill the empty spots
Time with stretch the tighter parts
The shoes will never quite be new
Patches may tear and reopen holes
But that\'s okay and that\'s alright
Life is hard but it’s also bright
Shoes are meant for stress and pain
For uncomfort and the interstrain
No one says the walk is easy
no one claims to know the trail
But there is one thing that is for sure
We all have our own shoes to endure.