Men After Work by Dana Gioia
Done with work, they are sitting by themselves
in coffeeshops or diners, taking up the booths,
filling every other seat along the counter,
waiting for the menu, for the water,
for the girl to come and take their order,
always on the edge of words, almost without appetite,
knowing there is nothing on the menu that they want,
waiting patiently to ask for one
more refill of their coffee, surprised
that even its bitterness will not wake them up.
Still they savor it, holding each sip
lukewarm in their mouths, this last taste of evening. Art by D.C.Slider Recommended listening: Wasted Hours (A Life That We Can Live) - Arcade Fire Links of the Day: The stigma of doing things alone A musician's life can be entertaining and depressing: Lifafa How we used to die; how we die now Van Gogh's bedroom is on Airbnb