it hung there like a noose
around the neck of a people
a road map in red and black
with a series of right turns
this destination unknown to me
a child half of twenty-one

father was seeking
shocked at what he found
his stare a chisel to stone

a large oak desk
the trio who sat behind it
bald, boots, tattoos
with menace and calm
grabbed hold of our eyes
aborting peripheral vision

a three second eternity
chilled the air
then the middle one chirped
may we help you

– Richard Evans