Context:
- Gerald Waller took the picture of the Austrian boy, Hans Werfel outside an orphanage in Austria. Painting- “New Shoes”.
- The box came from the Red Cross as a war relief effort.
The box is big, and red. It’s the colour of the lollipops nanny used to give me, before the bombs and before the dreaded radio reports.
I wait patiently, even though I’m very excited. The box contains hope, hope for me, hope for everyone, hope for every single orphaned child who is alone. They say the war is over. Is it really? The war inside me still wages, for supplies, for love, comfort and company.
When my turn comes, I go for the shoes. They are the right size, smart ‘n black, and well-polished. All new and shiny.
I can’t unpack my treasured prize in front of everyone comfortably, so I run outside, as fast as I can run.
When my turn comes, I go for the shoes. They are the right size, smart ‘n black, and well-polished. All new and shiny. I can’t unpack my treasured prize in front of everyone comfortably, so I run outside, as fast as I can run.
I sit on the ever present steps and clutch them to my chest. This is definitely the best of ‘em all. Straight from the schooling shops! Hans Werfel, I say to myself, you are the luckiest Austrian orphan who ever lived.