Baguio’s lost shoe sparks viral poem

BAGUIO, Philippines – On a seemingly ordinary day in Baguio City, a shoe lost and found at an overpass captivated the hearts of netizens far and wide. Well, not the shoe itself. 

On Monday, March 11, the city government’s Public Order and Safety Division (POSD) transformed a standard lost-and-found notice into a poem, spinning in the process the “Baguio Cinderella Story 2.0.”

The poetic announcement:

A lone sole seeks its missing mate,
A crimson kiss upon its fate.
Four inches high, a daring stride,
Size forty-one, where could it hide?

Found by our enforcers, a watchful eye,
Near the O-shaped bridge, beneath the sky.
Though knocking doors, a tedious quest,
A quicker path, we put to the test.

Come, gentle lady, or perhaps a gent (size 41!),
Claim this lost treasure, heaven-sent.
For in our office, a story awaits,
Perhaps a prince Charming, to seal your fate.

So come forth now, and end the plight,
Reunite the sandals, bathed in light.
Who knows what magic love might bring,
On wings of leather, you’ll surely sing.

After it was shared almost 500 times and liked by double the number as of this writing, the next question of course became: Who wrote the poem?

POSD chief Daryll Kim Longid did. 

“I just thought that it would catch people’s attention if I wrote it as a poem and in the process reach more audience. The more traction, the higher the chance the owner would come across the post,” Longid told Rappler. 

He said he initially tried asking AI to write the verse, “but it wasn’t giving me the output I was looking for.” 

“So I just looked up the Old English synonyms of the words I wanted to use as I went through each line. I used a thesaurus,” he said.  

This wasn’t the POSD’s first “Cinderella” post. On January 26, 2023, it called on the owner of a single wedge sandal this way: 

“We’re looking for the owner of this brand new pairless wedge sandal (left pair) that may have fallen off someone’s bag at the Treasury Market Division office last Monday, 23 January, sometime after the clock struck 12. 

“Shoe brand is M Style size 38.

“To claim, please proceed to our office located at the Ground Floor of Block 4 along Hilltop Rd. here at the Public Market and simply present the other pair.

“P.S. You may bring your Prince Charming who could put the sandal on you… if it fits! 

Abangan ang susunod na kabanata!”

The post also went viral. 

With Monday’s poem, Longid underscored the POSD’s creative approach to public service, transforming the mundane task of reuniting lost items with their owners into a narrative that both delights and engages the community. 

On Tuesday night, March 12, the search had its fairy tale ending of sorts, inspiring another poem that, needless to say, went viral again. – Rappler.com