Good Neighbours

There is a barricade of shoes
blocking access to our door.

They are not our shoes.


There is a barricade of shoes
blocking egress from our flat.

They are not our shoes.


I pull the laces tighter
on my MA1s;
manly leather grips my shins.
I cut a swath through
Bulgarian Adidas, Nike
and Hong Kong Prada.
Plastic and faux-pigskin
bounce off the walls - I miss the light
by inches.
Diplomacy
of the size 9 boot.
A language that respects no borders.
A proportional response.