In The Diner

At five past midnight

Under a flickering "OPEN" sign

That went out just as soon as I walked through the door

In the diner in late july

I found the meaning of life

And what every patron and waitress that night was waiting for

I sat alone in a back booth

Stumbled over some half truths

About how I was expecting someone, and I'd be needing the extra room

The waitress was listless

Working overtime and double shifts

And staring longingly at the door

The tragic parody of adult life

Was playing out in front of me that night

Like a dream where you wanna run, but your legs have all but died

And I could've sat with some old friends near the front

The uninvited guests in the town we're from

And shared the lives we've lived with the strangers we've become

Or I could've sat on a barstool and had a drink

To forget the things I had to do that week

All the hearts I'd have to break, and all the homes I'd have to leave

Or I could've called over the waitress who came undone

Confessed that I'm not waiting for anyone

And if you'd like, I think you oughta sit with me when you're done

But the door had just finished swinging shut

And the manager was spitting and cursing her luck

The waitress was already gone