Big Score on a Little Porch

A couple of women in hospital scrubs
steal packages on porches. When
the homeowner checks the footage
he finds the culprit is unfindable,
essentially anyone—essential or not.
They parked far enough away so not
even sure of the car or whether they
walked a few houses down where they
might live. They are everyone and
no one. The video is uploaded and shared
online with neighbors. Very few seem
to care. The police file an incident report
over the phone. He offers the video
to an Amazon customer service rep
who says no need, she’s already sent
out a replacement. These things just
happen
, she says. The price of theft
and damage already calculated in,
less lately because most people are
home but the delivery people don’t
ring the doorbell so there’s always
the chance what happened here will
happen again. Somewhere these women
are opening the box after their big score:
a bottle of anti-itch foot spray
and a 5-pound bag of Epsom salt.

This poem appeared in The Write Launch, July 2020.

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