Coffee burns the chipped enamel cup
White feathers ruffle on the fire escape
Regulars order eggs runny side up
Yellow eyes track movement in the grate
Grease pops loud on the seasoned steel
Neon buzzes through the wet brick wall
Head rotates slow on a cable coil
Steam rises where the exhaust fans call
Night shifts slow to a simmer boil
Water beads on barred primaries
Fry cook flips with a wrist so steady
City hums in low frequencies
Both wait out the heavy and ready
Rain stops. Griddle sings. Morning comes steady
Bell dings sharp when the plate slides through
Talons grip rust where the paint peeled back
Hash browns crisp in a copper hue
Downy chest feathers the gutter stack
Salt shakes once over yellow light
Sign flickers pink through the oil-slick sheen
Nictitating membrane sweeps the grime
Steam curls ghostly from the deep fry machine
Time stretches thin in the paused nighttime
Water beads on barred primaries
Fry cook flips with a wrist so steady
City hums in low frequencies
Both wait out the heavy and ready
Rain stops. Griddle sings. Morning comes steady
Pie case glows with a meringue peak
Pellet coughed up on the corrugated tin
Regular wipes syrup from his cheek
Silent wings cut where the shadows begin
Bacon fat sizzles in the black pan
Water beads on barred primaries
Fry cook flips with a wrist so steady
City hums in low frequencies
Both wait out the heavy and ready
Rain stops. Griddle sings. Morning comes steady
Check called out for table three
Preening resumes on the dripping ledge
Tip left small on the laminate tree
Wind shifts east past the window edge
Coffee refill. Steam. Quiet command
Water beads on barred primaries
Fry cook flips with a wrist so steady
City hums in low frequencies
Both wait out the heavy and ready
Rain stops. Griddle sings. Morning comes steady
First pale stripe cracks the bruised horizon
Last drop wiped from the feathered crown
Apron hung on the wooden peg iron
Wings unfold. Silent. Straight down
Neon gutters. Day takes the town
Water beads on barred primaries
Fry cook flips with a wrist so steady
City hums in low frequencies
Both wait out the heavy and ready
Rain stops. Griddle sings. Morning comes steady
Steam and wings. Same rhythm. Same sound
Fourth and Main wakes without a sound