Wrote this on a napkin to read it to my son when he was sad because he lost one of his pair of favorite red tennis shoes. A tale about making new friends:

Little Red Shoe Is Blue

There was a little red shoe under a little wooden chair.
The little shoe was always happy until his best friend wasn’t there.
He looked to the left, to the right; he looked up, he looked down
But the little shoe’s friend just couldn’t be found.
Little Red Shoe was sad and said,
“I must find him. Maybe under the bed?”
He started to search with all of his might
but no matter how hard he tried, he could only turn right!
“The bed is left, what can I do?”
Then a small voice said, “Can I look, too?”
The Little Red Shoe saw someone new
it was a another little shoe, but this shoe was blue.
“You were made to turn right, but I turn left,” he said.
With a smile and a nod, they set out for the bed.
Little Red Shoe was amazed he could go
so far, so fast, he didn’t know
but with Little Blue Shoe along for the ride
he could move like he had his old friend at his side.
Together they traveled into the dark under springs
where there were so many disorderly things!
A book, a box, a doll that talked
but no other red shoe, though they walked and walked.
“I had a friend too,” said the Little Blue Shoe.
“Where did he go?” Red asked. “What did he do?”
“He was missing one day,” Blue said with a sigh.
“My friend is lost too,” Red answered, “and I don’t know why.”
The Little Red Shoe puffed out his laces
they had looked and walked in so many places.
At his side was a shoe that just didn’t match
he didn’t even have laces, he closed with a catch
but together they had walked without a thought
though they weren’t finding the shoes they had sought.
The Little Red Shoe stopped walking, his laces all smiles.
“What is it, Red? We have to search for many more miles.”
The Little Red Shoe shook his head and said, “No.”
Red said, “We’ve already gone farther than we needed to go.”
Blue was puzzled. “We have to find a friend, like you said!”
Red laughed. “I did find one. He’s just blue and not red.”
So together they walked back to the wooden chair
and settled down to rest with the other toys there.
The Little Red Shoe wasn’t blue anymore
he had a new Blue friend that he loved even more.

~ ~ ~

© W.R.R. 9-25-11
For Sky, my son. Remember when you lose a friend, that a new friend might be right beside you.