Last Shift Brass

Alarm at six and the kettle sings

Black shoes on and the bus door swings

Name tag straight and the collar pressed Smile for the floor,

do your patient best Coffee rings bloom by the booking screen Late

check-ins, but you keep it clean Tray in your hand and a

list in your head You trade your hunger for tips instead Every

hello is a little performance Hold that room with a practiced assurance

He says breathe, keep the service bright Get them through the rush,

get them through the night But the numbers talk in a colder

tongue One small slip and the damage is done

I gave my morning,

I gave my name I

wore their smile and I played that game Then one short walk

to the office door And I wasn't their man anymore Out in

the rain with a paper cup Trying to laugh while the world

shuts up

Manager's eyes on the printed sheet Polite sharp words and a tapping

beat Said your face fits till the week goes wrong Said this

house needs someone steady and strong Locker key down by the staffroom

sink You watch your future begin to shrink Through the glass the

dining room still shines Like it never once belonged to your time

Street wind cold on the back of my neck Tiny last pay

in a final check If work can leave you before you speak

Who are you now by the end of the week I gave

my morning, I gave my name I wore their smile and I

played that game Then one short walk to the office door And

I wasn't their man anymore Out in the rain with a paper

cup Still got a heart that won't give up

Bus comes slow and the windows blur Tomorrow waits and I answer

her