THE ALL NIGHT DINER

THE ALL NIGHT DINER As the stark glaring lights Pierce black shadows of the night The strangers feast In lonely company * And the waiter tips his hat At the blatant garish slut As the couple touch But that is that * As a man sits alone Contemplating home his newspaper a substitute for companionship * The human isolation Transcends the hidden desperation As the tide of urban emptiness Brings comfort to them * The subtle clang of glassware On the long sleek wooden counter Breaks the silence Of the patrons tired stares * But nobody says anything They don’t have to my friend You can hear the coffee pouring In the cup * Basking in anonymity Enjoying life’s ambiguity While the nighthawks move to the beat of humanity * Windows shine like day Lighting dim lit walkways A Voyeur’s eye view On a scene both old and new * Sitting but not seeking Hearing but not speaking Evoking myriad sessions About the lives in question * Living lives of desolation In quiet contemplation of things they will have to think about on another day * WordPlaya, February 10, 2010 * It is not a question of being liked by the world, but of belonging to it. – Viggo Mortensen -