because the dead don't wear shoes

[milo]

because the dead don’t wear shoes
they can sneak up on you
and breathe dryly into your ear
from behind your favourite chair.
 
they can follow you to distant countries
passing quickly through airport security checks,
ignoring signs to remove their belt and shoes,
they can't be left with the unchecked luggage.
 
because the dead don’t wear shoes
they fold easily from one year to the next
like the pages of a calendar
that doesn't end -  perpetual.
 
they call to you, occasionally
like misbehaving children dancing in the rain
come join us
and slip free of the worries of life 
and shoes.