He watches weeds reclaim the yard behind the shop
Each morning shift brings coffee in a chipped cup
The counter clicks with every boot that hits the plank
He smiles a joke at truckers rolling slow and blank
Midnight toll he counts them one by one
Midnight toll his shift is never done
Weeds grow high where children used to run
Midnight toll he watches every one
Rain slicks the deck where headlights paint the wire
He wipes his hands on denim stained with grease and tire
A harmonica bleeds low from somewhere near the tracks
He bets a dollar on the next rig turning back
Midnight toll he counts them one by one
Midnight toll his shift is never done
Weeds grow high where children used to run
Midnight toll he watches every one
The workshop roof sags slow beneath the pine needle weight
He marks the tally chalk on rusted metal plate
No fanfare comes for decades keeping watch alone
Just coffee steam and radio playing old unknown
Midnight toll he counts them one by one
Midnight toll his shift is never done
Weeds grow high where children used to run
Midnight toll he watches every one
Night shift ends but he don't punch a clock
The bridge holds stories deeper than the rock
He walks the backyard where the wild flowers grow
Counts his own footsteps moving slow
New collector arrives with digital display
He hands the ledger over walks the other way
The overgrown yard swallows up his worn out boots
He laughs a joke about the price of fallen fruits
Midnight toll he counts them one by one
Midnight toll his shift is never done
Weeds grow high where children used to run
Midnight toll he watches every one
Booth light fades at dawn
He's already gone
