'One Little Shoe' by Annabelle O'Bryan

A single shoe.

A little dust embedded in the creases and contours of soft, moulded leather.

Scuffed a little at the toes and a little muddy at the heels.

The sole a little shorter in length than yours or my hand.

One small boot.

Chosen by whom it was made to be chosen by,

A loving mother treating her beloved child.

Laced as it was made to be laced,

To support growing ankles as they ran playing with friends.

Worn as it was made to be worn,

To carry young feet in their adventures.

A reminder of suffering.

Innocent children trapped within relentless cruelty.

Gone before they could speak of what they saw.

An experience beyond what you or I could ever imagine.

But it is all that’s left.

A reminder of suffering.

One small boot.

A single shoe,

To tell millions of stories.