Would Shoes Help?

It’s time to get dressed

It’s time to go

It’s time to impress

It’s time for the show

“But what to wear?”

He thought with dismay

Every shirt in his closet

Was either black or gray

So he grabbed a red scarf

To brighten his suit

Perhaps that would be dapper

Or perhaps even cute

“No, no” he thought

Cute wasn’t the word

It was the opera, after all

Cute would be absurd!

Would shoes help? Maybe

But they’d have to be just right

The soles would need to be sturdy

The laces had to be tight

How about a hat?

With a great big brim

A tie with stripes

Or a jacket with red trim

No! The hat was silly

The scarf too profound

The tie was ridiculous

And the jacket made him look round

So he settled with dreary

The black and the gray

The only look he knew

The way he dressed every day

The curtain opened

The crowd cheered with passion

He smiled and remembered

They didn’t come for his fashion