Marriage vs Infinite Space

by David Rodriguez

 

I’m never replacing my shoes.

These blue vegans may have

hallux holes and squeak, may

stay wet for days and seam-split

before I’ve worn the soles all the

way, but their reliability is enabling.

In them, I’m lenticular clouds high,

then Stratos, thermosphere and new

car. 300 miles up, there’s no baked

Alaska, but all of the feeling of

eating it. The shoes slip on, my

toes slow-curl into fetal position,

my heart slows. The new ones

my wife bought can stay under

the bed, box-shut and stuffed

with paper. How many times

have I said I don’t need them?

It’s not about need, she claims.

 

 

About Author:

David Rodriguez is a writer and teacher based in New Orleans with an MFA from Florida State University. He has previously been published in the New Orleans Review, The Southeast Review, Hawai’i Review, Naugatuck River Review, and Viewfinder, among other places.