stoic
no face
B l a n k
like a whiteboard
like a chalkboard
scrubbed dry
sponges soaked in dye
trying to scrub the world dry
only to drench it in red
turn off the lights
lock up the doors
no one watches when the world is dark
except them
with their unseeing eyes
carved out sockets
and a line for a mouth
fabric draped on their bodies
like they’re some dress up doll for grown ups with nothing better to do than play make believe
which i suppose is hitting the nail on the head
and pinning the tail on the donkey
when the lights are dark
and no one is there
is the time when they come out to play
and explore the world
the sun is rising and they have a choice
stay and become one of us
or return to their home and remain a statue, forever eyes and watchers of this dreaded and beautiful humanity
the lights come back on
rounds are being made
over the course of the years, a few have gone missing
chalked up to being stolen by hoodlum kids or shipping mistakes
but never enough to be actually noticed
never enough to be worried about
never enough to change
Christiana Noll is a senior. She plans on studying English in college, and hopes to write in some form in the future.