Signs
"S I G N S" previously appeared in Pennsylvania English, Volume 27, Fall 04-Spring 05 issue.
You stood and stared at it for a long time.
You glanced to the left at the other one,
but you knew for certain that was the wrong one.
Still, this one didn’t quite fit, but you had no other options.
This one, this door, said W O M E N.
The block letters spoke of authority.
If you went in, would you be called a liar?
Would someone see your flat chest
and your straight hips and know you were not a W O M A N?
You go in, holding your breath,
hoping not to see a real W O M A N,
hoping not to be caught violating this sanctuary.
These signs, these labels, you see,
help you to know where you belong.
They direct you through life,
helping you to know where you’re accepted.
Signs like NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO SERVICE
tells you that the old man on the corner,
the one mechanically raising the paper bag
to the lips above the yellowed beard,
who’s old wool coat looks out of place
above his bare feet, is not welcome here.
You can go in. He can’t.
The sign that says MUST BE 21, PHOTO ID REQUIRED
doesn’t really mean you.
It means you must ask Rocky, because he’s legal,
and he’ll help you with that sign and the other one,
the one for smokes. They sometimes don’t ask for PHOTO ID for smokes.
That sign, Rocky says, is a CYA sign – for Cover Your Ass.
You can sometimes buy smokes without PHOTO ID,
if you put a lot of makeup on and wear your tight Levi’s.