Camera clicks on cracked vinyl seats
Mist curls thick round bent neon tubes
She frames the hum in quiet feats
Counter stools hold empty cubes
Geiger clicks mark steady time
Diner sign hums radioactive rhyme
Coffee steams in porcelain rims
Midnight waits for morning hymns
Film wind clicks in leather bag
Bus schedule rotted on the wall
She shoots the cook in grease-stained rag
Salt shakers stand like sentinels tall
Geiger clicks mark steady time
Diner sign hums radioactive rhyme
Coffee steams in porcelain rims
Midnight waits for morning hymns
Shutter snaps the pie display
Meringue peaks glow green and pale
Dosimeter sings decay
Checkered tiles tell the tale
Upright bass walks slow through haze
Wurlitzer bleeds warm electric blue
She photographs the final days
Each frame a ghost she never knew
Flash bulb pops in vitamin dark
Quarter drops in jukebox slot
Static sings a vinyl spark
Booth leather wears the years she got
Geiger clicks mark steady time
Diner sign hums radioactive rhyme
Coffee steams in porcelain rims
Midnight waits for morning hymns
Bus engine coughs on frozen street
She pockets film and lifts her pack
Neon flickers, incomplete
Sign hums on, no voice talks back
Geiger clicks mark steady time
Diner sign hums radioactive rhyme
Coffee steams in porcelain rims
Midnight waits for morning hymns
Geiger clicks mark steady time
Diner sign hums radioactive rhyme
Shutter closes, light goes dim
Sign hums on, no voice talks back
