Los Zapatos
by Manuel Ávalos
I don’t tell Mami that I need new shoes.
I don’t show her the scuffs and holes
or tell her that the rain soaked through my socks.
Otherwise she yokes herself all day and night
Comes home
with muscles knotted like yarn
peels her skin off
tans it
and fashions it into a new pair.
Manuel Ávalos is a recent graduate, poet, musician, and occasional stand-up comedian based out of San José, California. He is a two-time semi-finalist at the College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational. More of his work can be found on Instagram @elmanuelavalos.
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