a sigh for help

This is not a huge act of desperation like a "cry for help" such as when someone says a statement that they may kill themselves or take a bunch of drugs. This is more like someone wearing an ill-fitting and unattractive shirt or announcing that they may be changing their religious views. It's not too dramatic but there's some drama for sure.

Jeremy: "Did you hear about Ashlyn?"
Ulysses: "Nope. She do something dumb again?"
Jeremy: "Well, she wrote a poem and left it at Hugo's desk. It was about a flower or something. Hugo didn't like it."
Ulysses" "Hmmm. That seems like a sigh for help. I may need to read that poem though. I like flowers."