Sign here
She said,
Red chipped fingernails pointed at a broken line
Every letter you drew
Made me cringe
I paced back and fourth
Each penstroke
Took painstakingly longer than the last
The middle aged woman watched me like a hawk
Whispering to her coworker in some foreign language

Sweat rolled down my forehead
One minute felt like an hour


I looked at the sign and then at the clock
I looked at the clock
And then at the sign

"missing since tuesday"
I studied the image
properly wondering how
2 full time employed people
Could be here
bagging for money

Did she hit him with a hammer?
knock too much sense
Into his head?
Blow his brains out with a shotgun?

Hide his body in a dumpster
Or dig a shallow trench
And toss him in
Drown him in a river


He wasnt supposed to die that day!

Did he bleed alot?
What was he wearing a worksuit?
Did he have children ?
How old was he?

The sign was cold and uncaring
Like the man went missing and the world hardly noticed

The sign was vague.
It had been torn and re-taped
Hanging only by a hair.

It waved in the window and I noticed.
I noticed.
I noted.
And i nodded.


Finally with the transaction complete
Money in our pockets
And too many unanswered questions
From a missing man id never meet
We left.
My mind still puzzled with question.