Missing.....

Every morning, another face is taped to a trembling wall, Another smile trapped beneath the cruel word missing. The streets wear fear now like expensive perfume, And mothers clutch prayers tighter than their children’s hands. We no longer sleep deeply in this country of sirens, Every knock sounds like bad news dressed as company. Fathers stare too long when daughters leave the house, Brothers call five times just to hear “I’m safe.” Posters bloom on poles faster than flowers in April, Like tragedy has become the newest societal trend. A child disappears before sunset can even apologize, And silence swallows names louder than gunshots ever could. How did we become a people who memorize grief? Why do our timelines read like obituary columns? Hope now limps through neighborhoods with broken slippers, While fear sits comfortably at every dining table. And somewhere tonight, another picture is being printed, Because in this country… orange is the new black.