You wipe the grill at three a.m.
Black coffee steams in ceramic rim
The bone-fire smoke curls through the vent
Your shift ends where the dark hours went
You serve the regulars eggs runny gold
You watch the witches stir broth dark and cold
The ghost in booth three reads the news
He orders hash and pays his dues
Samhain embers smoke in midnight air
You flip the steak with practiced care
The veil is thin but diner's bright
You serve the dead before the light
You crack two eggs for Death himself
He pays in coins from some old shelf
The banshee wants her toast burnt black
You slide it down without talk back
Samhain embers smoke in midnight air
You flip the steak with practiced care
The veil is thin but diner's bright
You serve the dead before the light
The grill holds heat like standing stones
Each grease-pop cracks like ancient bones
You feed the living and the gone
Till dawn breaks gray on linoleum
The vampire asks for blood-rare steak
You cook it quiet for his sake
The werewolf sheds hair on the stool
You sweep it up, you know the rule
Jack-o-lantern flickers on the shelf
You serve the last shift to yourself
Coffee black as winter sky
You watch the embers smoke and die
Samhain embers smoke in midnight air
You flip the steak with practiced care
The veil is thin but diner's bright
You serve the dead before the light
Burnt offering on porcelain white
Grill goes cold at morning's gate
You lock the door and seal the fate
