My first pair,
Limited edition ‘05 altitude 13’s
The black mesh upper and the green sole
The stares I would get just for having them
There’s a story behind every pair
From 1’s to 23’s
The anticipation of getting close
to the release date
Feeling the actual shoe on the foot
for the first time
The feel of the leather, the suede,
The nubuck, the netting
and the carbon fiber,
The color way and the uniqueness
Oozing from every little detail
Owning a total of 20 pairs of Jordans
At once feels like nothing.
It becomes an addiction owning them.
Taking care of them as if one little smudge
Will be the end of the world.
The way the laces link together with the shoes
Like a spider's web
The sneaker talk with another sneakerhead
It flows off the tongue like sweet honey
I will forever have a passion for my sneakers.

harrogate in the rain.



cheap umbrella broke,

a delightful shade of pink,

abandoned.



abandoned the street

for the parlour, the crown.



mourned my shoes, wet



and ripping.



dripping

white nubuck.



watched the trees,

falling leaves.



good coffee

opposite

the pumproom.



harrogate.



sbm.

i had summer and winter shoes.

summer brought traditional sandals
white nubuck leather mainly
though sometimes red
never brown

the next year Mum cut the front out

our toes peeped through for playing
for paddling

I dont remember plimsoles really
only that yellow pair for when I went away
and it was then I had lace ups
the only time ever

lately in chester I asked for lace ups
the assistant asked what I meant
so I said

she replied no that she only had shoes
with laces see

in the winter I wore strap shoes
always red
sometimes
double strap
a treat

mum said in the war she would walk
with the boys up in the pram to look
for somewhere with shoes for sale

sometimes she bought them little leather
boots to wear with the knitted suits

that had to be washed carefully

i still have the photographs
I do not have those brothers
no more

i have the other one
born before me
after the war.