Poetry: Brandless Shoes by Thaina Joyce

By Thaina Joyce

Artist's Statement

Most of my work focuses on bridging the past and present self, the art of becoming. I aim to write through an intersectional lens, sharing stories based on identity, family, personal experiences, and relationships with the world. 

I believe that there are messages that have never been shared and voices that have never been heard. We are all made of stories. I hope my work will empower, connect the human experience, and evoke new perspectives. 

Brandless Shoes 

​My dad comes home after the storm, carrying a black bag dripping with water on his shoes.

He says he’s been laid off. I am four years old, too young to put myself in his wet shoes.

Mom hurries inside to grab a towel, moving her lips into undecodable whispers. She talks to
God.
Eyes staring at the bills on the fridge, weak steam coming off the rice
pot, hands drying shoes. 
​
He hangs the black bag open on the wire, calls a family meeting at the kitchen table, 
and declares a plan. When the bag dries, he’ll buy the inventory to sell clothes and kids’ shoes. 

In the morning he’s the first passenger on the early bus. Food on the table, mom feeding my brother 
from her chair. Dad comes home at lunch, releases the bulky bag on top of my brandless shoes.

Legs crossed on the floor, he looks me in the eye and says, get ready, we’re going on an adventure. A portable shop is set on the street, my eyes watching his groundbreaking shoes.


Author's Note:
Brandless Shoes is a ghazal about my first experience with unemployment through my dad. At that time, he made it seem like the challenge was an adventure or a puzzle that had to be solved, but now that I'm older, I see the hidden lessons about persistence, hard work, and creativity in the face of adversity.