Mina's Frown

tells us nothing about her heart;
the way she holds the knife,
knuckles white, lips blue and trembling,
frightens the children
gathered around the table.
Today the table is set badly.

By all appearances, Mina is a marvel -
seeing into the hearts of people,
regulating charts, running the shop,
and when the need arises,
she'll put on gloves to repair a gadget.
But today she seems frozen in her frown;
and the cloudy look on her steady face
seems about to turn stormy.

Could that stranger who spent an hour
a day ago - visiting the shop - have set her off?
We saw him from afar pacing,
stomping down his points.