The Shoes At The Back Door1
Once upon a time in the land of the long white cloud called Aotearoa, there lived on a dairy farm a little wahine called Pania. 2
Pania hardly ever wore shoes. Her shoes just sat at the back door along with her younger sister’s shoes, and her two older brothers’ boots and her Mum and Dad’s gumboots. On the farm there were many, many cows and they would just drop there pats anywhere which made for very mucky walking indeed and it also meant that you were forever cleaning your shoes. It was much easier to go barefoot and hose your feet down at the drain by the back door.3
Pania never wore shoes to school. She would ride her pony Terapapa bare back with her younger sister sitting in front and her older brother holding them on from behind and the playgrounds were just sheep and cow paddocks which meant you could run barefoot. The kids had to be careful where they ran and played though for there was a lot of clover and this brought the bees buzzing about.4
On Fridays, Mum would take them all to town on the old Chevy Bus to get the groceries. THEN Pania would have to wear her shoes! 5
They pinched her toes and chaffed her heels. She just couldn’t wait to get back home and kick them off at the back door!6
All the old farmers’ wives in the little country town would remark how sweet the girls looked in their shiny black patent leather shoes with their snow white ankle socks. They just turned their heads away and went “Haarrumph!” when they saw the boys in their scuffed old two sizes to big hand me down boots of their Dad.7
Still covered in cow pats and sheep dung caked on with dust from the yard. The boys wore no socks and their baggy pants came down to their knees. They looked like four scrawny geraniums growing in boots of compost!8
They smelt that way too!9
And so it was for six days out of seven, Pania’s little black patent leather shoes would sit shining at the back door while Pania would be running free about the farm.10
Ah it was a great life not having to wear shoes!11
Sammy November 200512
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Comments
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Thank you Hyssop for taking the time to come by and comment.
Much appreciated.
Take care,
Sammy -
This is really interesting, all about a pair of shoes. Nice idea!
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