Mudslide Mercury
Yeah—three in the morning off I-10.
Yellow sign glowing through the Louisiana fog.
They call it dining;
I call it surviving.
Tomboy with the gauges in,
spatula in hand. Let’s go.
Clock struck midnight, pulling up in the ride,
Duson cold outside, heat locked inside.
Apron tied tight, non-slips on the floor,
Drunk crowd stumbling through the front door.
Five-seven, ice-cold stare, Smoke break in the back just to breathe fresh
air. Two kids at the crib,
four paws at the gate,
I don’t play around when it comes to the plate.
Order up—scattered, smothered, covered,
diced,
Step to the counter,
better ask nice.
Grease on the apron,
steel on the grill,
Graveyard shift, yeah, we cook to kill.
Ticket wheel spinning like a loaded clip,
Spill one drop and I’ll sink your ship.
Yellow sign buzzing in the dead of night,
Waffle House kingdom, we don’t lose a fight.
Syrup on the deck,
iron pressing down hot,
Running this kitchen like a five-star block.
Smothered and covered, peppered and capped,
Alice on the line and the city gets trapped.
Want smoke? We got grease on the blaze,
Rockstar status through the midnight haze.
Table three trying to start up a scene,
Big talk, bourbon, too much caffeine.
Caught a flying plate with my left hand,
Tossed it in the wash like I planned.
Seen brawls that would shake up a prison,
Still flipped four eggs with surgeon precision.
Hash browns crisp like twenty-dollar bills,
Southern queen ruling over diner windowsills.
Tomboy demeanor, never taking no lip,
Cash in the pocket from a ten-dollar tip.
Ask who runs it when the neon goes out—
Point to the flat-top.
That’s what I’m about.
Yellow sign
buzzing in the dead of night,
Waffle House kingdom, we don’t lose a fight.
Syrup on the deck,
iron pressing down hot,
Running this kitchen like a five-star block.
Smothered and covered, peppered and capped,
Alice on the line and the city gets trapped.
Want smoke? We got grease on the blaze,
Rockstar status through the midnight haze.
Sun coming up over the highway.
Breakfast rush rolling in.
Scrape the grill clean.
Another shift handled.
Order out.