Leather and oak
Whiskey and smoke
Exhaled in a languid defense
Of an evening that’s spent
In a mist of ferment
That eventually lifts all pretense

Quietly tight
As you sip through a night
Of forgetting the reason you came
Asking, no doubt
What your life is about
And then looking for someone to blame

Feeling at ease
‘Til the moment you seize
On a thought that you thought you had lost
Wondering why
You believed in the lie
And then categorizing the cost

Leaving a tip
Like a bargaining chip
To the sad patron saint of the waiting
Hoping to gain
Some relief from the pain
In the arms of sweet equivocating

On your way home
You’re no longer alone
As you walk about talk about trust
Like a moth to the flame
You dissolve in the shame
Of the heat and the light of your lust

In the morning once more
You have evened the score
And your ego’s exacted its price
So you say your goodbye
And you try not to cry

For the loneliest act of your life