Reflections on shoes by Van Gogh

My name is Elias. 

I’m a cobbler. 

“All God’s children got shoes," says the old song.

It’s true, you know. 

Everybody wears shoes. 

When you wear a hole in the sole, or split out the side, or scuff the leather..,when your shoes look old and worn and tired...come to my shop and I’ll help you. 

I’ll polish the leather until it shines like new. 

I’ll sew the rips and tears so your feet will stay warm and dry. 

I can mend them if you’ll let me.

If you’re too busy to stay, you can leave your shoes and come back later and pick them up. 

Or you can rock here in this rocking chair and watch me work. 

I take my time because I want to do a good job. 

You don’t have to talk to me if you don’t want to. 

You can just rock and listen to the tap-tap-tapping of my mallet and the stitch-stitch-stitching of my needle and the brush-brush-brushing of my cloth upon the shoes. 

Or you can rock and talk to me about things on your mind and in your heart. 

It’s okay. 

I like to listen. 

Listening is an act of love. 

I want to hear your stories. 

If you’re quiet for a while, then I’ll start to talk about people I’ve known and places I’ve been and things I've done and feelings I’ve felt. 

I’ve spent most of my days here at my workbench, alone with the shoes.

It’s nice to have someone listen to my stories.

- Trevor Scott Barton, stories for a brown eyed girl, 2019