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The irony of the "Help wanted" sign.
Twist in the tail.

"Help wanted", said that sign that stood upon the window sill,
The cafe was quite quaint and made modernity stand still,
With little tea pots in a line, and table cloths so pretty,
Stepped back in time and empty, which to me seemed like a pity.

"Help wanted", said the sign though there was no-one to be seen,
No waitresses or customers, nor trace that there had been

Activity of any sort that needed helping out,
I stood in sheer amazement, and let out a stifled shout.

"Is someone here ?", I asked out loud, though nobody replied,
"Help wanted", said the little sign that beckoned me inside.
A bell upon the counter looked too tempting to resist,
I held it tightly in my hand, and gently shook my wrist.

The hollow sound of ringing filled the air with mystery,
As nobody returned my call, there was no-one there but me.
Such dainty little tables with spring flowers I'd never seen,
And little chairs with cushions in a paisley patterned green.

"Help wanted", said that little sign, I stopped and read it twice,
And crept across the tea room, feet as silent as a mouse.
The delicacy of the cups, the napkins neat in rings,
And pretty tables all in rows, with lace edged coverings.

And as I turned to leave the place, my heart filled up with pride,
At times gone by that seemed to be so well preserved inside,
A little cafe on a street, where people just passed by,
And never took the time to stop, and left me wondering why.

That night in bed I wondered and I thought I should return,
I'd never worked in tea shops though was sure that I could learn,
And when arriving in that street, I startled to a stop,
To find the tea shop was replaced by a cold and empty shop.

I called next door and I inquired about the job they'd shown,
A job within the tea shop that I'd gladly call my own,
And the man said with a startled look, as his puppy gave a yelp,
That closed down 50 years ago, they couldn't get the help.

Learn more about this author, Rachelle de Bretagne.
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