they sold her shoes
for intoxicating beverage,
oxen walked crippled in repent
for their owners abuse,

cobbler full of grace
knew about  struggle and
temptation, so to assure this
child as a grown woman she
would not be illiterate cobbler
spelled the word shoes for her,
and sized her sole, simple it seemed,
"Jesus sent me to teach you how to get
above your raisin, be educated! Why be
a C student? Don't put your foot in your
mouth,"

but the child
did not heed, she
walked the hot desert
sand with ignorance,
burning her feet, Jesus
explaining to the cobbler
that some with narrow minds
will suffer with blistered feet,
censorship sandals speak of
Jerusalem's miles of those stoned,

I put bread in his jar,
he said man what are
you doing here? Billy Joel
the piano man, I replied,
donating to the cause, Jesus
saved the cobblers sole/soul,
the shoeless child.

Copyright ©§®  5.15.2010 Ms. Sage Sweetwater, firebrand lesbian novelist