Another weird place in my city
It seems to look a little sadder each time I drive by.
Yet there’s something still intriguing about the ramshackle Spokane Street Motel at Second and Spokane.
The classic, though now-broken sign, looks out of place in a commercial landscape of cheap neon and cookie-cutter plastic.
As long as it exists, the landmark Spokane Street Motel will be a memorial to its two former owners, Frank and Tessie Pozar , who disappeared on Oct. 29, 1984.
No bodies were found. No killer was ever caught.
Some years back, the tale haunted me enough to turn it into a song called…
Tessie and Frank ran the Spokane Street Motel.
Two hardworking souls, everybody wished them well.
Sailing away – into their golden years.
’Til that October day. Tessie and Frank disappeared.
Just a small crime, in a small town.
Happens every day.
Just a small crime, in a small town.
Headlines fade away.
And life goes on, just like it did before.
—
Evidence bags. Cops collected all the clues.
But with no bodies, murder is so hard to prove.
Sonny Boy said: “I ain’t takin’ no blame.”
And life goes on and the mystery still remains.
Just a small crime, in a small town.
Happens everywhere.
Just a small crime, in a small town.
Nobody seems to care.
And life goes on, just like it did before.
—
Was there blood on the walls?
Did they put up a fight?
Did they recognize the face of a killer that night?
Did they cry out in fear?
Were they simply erased?
How can two human beings disappear – without a trace?
—
Tessie and Frank ran the Spokane Street Motel.
Two hardworking souls, everybody wished them …
Just a small crime, in a small town.
Happens every day.
Just a small crime, in a small town.
Headlines fade away.
And life goes on, just like it did before.
* This story was originally published as a post from the blog "Clarksville." Read all stories from this blog