A Sign

On my way home from work today, I drove through a freeway underpass to make a U-turn. Sitting on the sloped edge of the underpass, where the concrete sidewalk next to the U-turn lane begins to march upward to the underside of the freeway above, was a man. He was writing on a piece of cardboard resting on his knees.

I often see men, and sometimes women, standing at intersections holding cardboard signs asking for money or, more rarely, food. They usually include the words "God Bless" and some kind of symbol, like a cross or smiley face. Never before, however, have I seen one of those signs being created.

Not until my commute was nearly over did I think to ask myself, "I wonder what his sign said?"