Long Way Down — Then the Yellow Tape

THEN THE YELLOW TAPE

that says DO NOT CROSS

gets put up, and there’s nothing left to do but go home.

That tape lets people know

that this is a murder scene, as if we ain’t already know that.

The crowd backs its way into

buildings and down blocks until nothing is left but the tape.

Shawn was zipped into a bag

and rolled away, his blood added to the pavement galaxy of

bubblegum stars. The tape

framed it like it was art. And the next day, kids would play mummy with it.