(Some men leave memories. Others leave shoe prints. These are the soles I’ve met—
the polished, the pathetic, the emotionally orthotic)
⸻
Brown Formals with Blue Socks
Said he didn’t want anything serious.
Texted at 2 a.m. for 11 months straight.
His socks were commitment issues. His shoes?
Polished apologies with hollow arches.
Italian Black Leather with Linen Trousers
Sophisticated. Repressed.
Quoted Rumi. Ghosted in iambic pentameter.
Felt like he was still writing a breakup letter to a woman from 2008.
Also probably owns a fountain pen he uses just to sign receipts.
Third-Grade Telugu Song in Slippers
He arrived offbeat, left on mute.
Didn’t know where he was going,
but insisted you come along for the “journey.”
He’s still on WhatsApp with your aunt.
Ghazal Man in Dusty Mojaris
You didn’t just fall for him.
You melted.
Then drowned.
Then wrote a sad sher about it.
He wore pain like perfume and had eyes like midnight betrayal.
White Loafers with White Socks
A clean break? Never.
He said “We should stay friends” while deleting your number.
Once posted a quote about soulmates, then liked three of your photos by accident.
Emotionally about as present as a VPN connection in a storm.
Untied Running Shoes
Perpetually working on himself.
Ran from intimacy, therapy, and brunch plans.
Probably into “mindfulness” but can’t name his own feelings.
Texts you “thinking of you” but disappears when you say “I feel the same.”
Formal Shoes at Casual Settings Guy
Emotionally overdressed for every moment.
Made you feel underdone, under-read, underwhelmed.
Had a playlist called “Heartbreak, but with dignity.”
You ghosted him out of sheer exhaustion.
The Combat Boots in July Type
Hot. Dangerous. Wounded.
Looked like a storm.
Loved like a fever.
Disappeared with your favorite hoodie.
You still miss the chaos more than you’d admit in public.
Socks with Sandals Man
Spiritual. Suspicious. Possibly in sales.
Said “don’t judge a man by his footwear”
…turns out you absolutely should.
Heard he was caught in a scandal—crypto and such.
Still texts with “blessings” after ghosting you mid-rebirth.
His voice?
Deep enough to drown all doubts,
as long as you kept your eyes on his face.
Don’t ask about the feet.
The feet knew too much.
My Signature Shoes
(Limited Edition. Emotionally Unghostable. Only One Pair Ever Made.)
The shoes I’ve worn—
some were borrowed.
Some too tight. Some so wrong
I almost forget my rhythm.
My feet blistered through red carpets and back alleys.
Tiptoed through love letters and landmines.
Danced when they should’ve run.
Ran when they should’ve stayed.
These signature shoes designed
Not for comfort. Warm, leather,
Cool soles, match nothing except poetry,
pain, and maybe uncensored guts.
They leave prints where others fear to tread.
They’ve danced in rain.
They’ve stomped out ghosts.
They’ve stood alone in cafés where memories order Alonge in your name.
No brand. No box.
Just one tiny label stitched on the inside:
“Still here.”