The Shoelace, one of life’s most overlooked gifts of comfort.
It comes in many sizes and many shapes;
this is to fill all sorts of shoe needs and aesthetic personal pleasures.
Some are round, like garden snakes,
others are flat as a freshly cooked fettuccine noodle.
Many colors to match,
or specifically to not match,
for visual stimulation.
Many woven strings wrapped together
in order to ensure the maximum tensile strength.
This allows shoes to be tied tightly to give that snug feel
of a foot
being hugged.
Tips tightly taped,
which make the weaving of the lace
all the more easy.
In one hole,
across the face of the shoe — up and out the other — then cross back to another hole, repeat
until the crossover formation is enough to hold the foot inside its warm capsule.
Without it many shoes would be useless flaps of canvas and rubber.
And many feet,
bottoms sore or tops exposed to the atmospheric weather.
Shoes without laces do exist but will never hug the tip of the bottom appendages
as well as those graced with the lace.
They are the bow tie that allows the sustained gratification of feet to proceed.
But sometimes they break.
So we lace a new shoelace.