lots of shoes

i know i have too many
shoes.
under the bed, in the closet,
on the steps,
in the laundry room.
but i understand
the reason why.
when i was a kid, i had
to put carboard
into the sole of my one
pair of sneakers to keep
my foot
from scraping against
the pavement
when running around on
the street.
in time, every sock
had a hole in it
where the skin would bleed,
and the cardboard didn't
last too long.
so now i have a hundred
pair of shoes
all colors, all types.
not a single one has
a broken lace
or a hole in the sole.
i have a lot of shirts
too.