Shoes go in an evidence baggie, bright red suede shrouded in plastic. Hey These Are Cool, the nurse says, taking them from you. No shoelaces allowed here. Never thought of shoelaces as a weapon. Learn something new every day. Receive a pair of light blue socks with a sticky bottom. Impossible to slide on the linoleum floors. Feel like a little kid, remind yourself you’re twenty-four. Realize how much you miss your shoes. Sticky-bottom socks feel like you’re walking through mud. Feet dangle off your bed. Blue this time, no red. Maybe you could have used that shoelace after all.
L Scully is a trans writer and double Capricorn based in Boston. Find them at lscullywriter.com and on Twitter @LRScully.