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Free Entry 2, Week 10

Clowning

My son’s feet grew a half every year,
convincing him his feet wouldn’t stop their growth
until the average man stops growing, around age 21,
but when he was 18, 19, his feet pulled up at size
10 ½ two shopping trips in a row. I couldn’t stand
to crush him. He wasn’t at the point in growth
where he required ordering 13’s and paying more
than usual, so I bought him 11’s. Now they call
him a clown at school because his feet, I mean his shoes,
don’t match his body type. I can’t make my son
into a man. I can’t make my son, scared of clowns
since he was 3, unafraid of what he is.

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