There is a tree of shoes near where I live. At one time it was a cottonwood, but now is it something different, there by the side of the highway, bearing shoes instead of leaves.
It started simply, no doubt through the random act of a brother irritated with his sister, for the first pair of shoes were pink sneakers tied together and dangling from a high branch. After that, other shoes followed, slowly at first, then more, high-tops, running shoes, large and small, some painted fluorescent orange, tied by the laces like bolos or fetishes, a tree of shoes. Some might wonder why people would waste perfectly good shoes in such a way, that certainly they have better things to do. Others – so busy with their own lives – don’t even notice that the tree which once shaded the corner of the pasture now has no leaves, only shoes. Perhaps there were too many leaves in the world, so why notice when there are less?
Nobody really knows why people began leaving shoes in the tree, but the owners of the property are leaving the shoes there. One could argue that the only reason for that is because the highway is now too close to the tree to allow for safe removal of shoes. Or that the owners aren’t even there anymore, only the renters, who probably don’t even notice the tree.
One could also argue that sometimes, perfectly reasonable people decide that there is something greater in the idea of a tree of shoes, something that isn’t naïve, or foolish - given the prospects of financial success - or that there are sometimes wonderful shoes and sometimes not so wonderful shoes hanging from the branches.
Sure, there are people who throw their shoes into the tree and expect some reward in return, then become discouraged when there is none. There are people who will look at all those shoes and think “ there are simply too many shoes in the world.”
But there will be others who will leave their shoes in the tree because of that idea, the greater than the parts thing, the sense of belonging to a group of people who understand the sometimes quixotic notion that by adding to the branches of the tree of shoes they are joining in an endless conversation.
There is a tree of shoes near where I live.
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I will do that!
Posted by: sue | February 16, 2012 at 12:55 PM
I love the picture of the Tree of Shoes that you have painted in my head. Perhaps you could show us a real painting or photo of the tree?
Posted by: Patrice F, Honolulu, HI, USA | February 16, 2012 at 12:10 PM