Late-Night Diner

Sitting in a late-night diner
ordering the stiffest drink they sell
twisting cigarettes into the tabletops
and drifting with my mind
Another night alone
given to misspent folly
trading one emptiness for another
and opening up the wounds all over again.

With my back against the wall
I watch the seconds tick away
twirling my finger in cold coffee
passing the time until the tears fade away
trying to decide just who I am
searching for answers in the hazy air around me

Lost and hopeless
trying to find my way through a smoky diner
and hoping to find truth in the arms of another
But all I see is a revolving door
just a million pieces of flesh
each like the last
parading before my eyes

The air is thick and cold
my body turning numb
listening for my beating heart
in the stiffening silence around me
Stuck teary-eyed and alone
stirring coffee in a late-night diner
trying to find something higher in the haze
as I wonder among broken dreams
and the shattered hearts around me

As I leave
I know the way I walk
I know the streets well
and I know the city around me
But no matter how many times
my feet carry me to my door
and into the comfort of my bed
I'll never know the way home
in this sea of misspent nights
too blinded by the tears and haze of a late-night diner
and the swirls of a stirring cup of cold coffee
shifting idly at my lap

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38 Responses to Late-Night Diner

  1. mike says:

    this was strange to read because it reminded me of my times in the past. but i found Christ and he turned my life around. i don't mean to preach but he has made my life much better and worth living.

    -Mike

  2. necromantic_angel says:

    It kind of describe my life how I am so lost right now. Well, as for the poem, I like the repetition of late-night dinner in every stanza. And the symbolism you used is good. Symbolism and literary allusion are my favorites. Here's yet another good poem from Raven.

  3. Jen says:

    sounds great to me.. but well… almost all of your works sound great to me…

  4. James says:

    cool poem, i can really relate to it

  5. Ivy says:

    I really have to say I like this poem a lot. I like most of your poems, to read someone else's poems is something I enjoy doing, defintitely when they are as good as yours.

  6. brandey says:

    i really thought it was a moving poem many people in this world are left alone everyday.And even though they might feel dark and out of place, they should always remember that they are the ones who are true and who are not the ones painting on a fake happy face….

  7. Andrea says:

    Wow… Another great poem. You took the words right out of my head… well, you took my simpleton views and made it beautiful, but we've all been there.

  8. Heather says:

    I think that your poetry is very meaningful. I like this poem i felt like i was visulizing it like it was me or someone lose to me going through that… very good poem

  9. Forsaken Angel says:

    I love this poem its deep and meaningful and it makes so much sense to me. Amazing. Keep up the great work.

  10. Black_Soul says:

    Sweet poem. i can relate to it anyday.

  11. mike says:

    Great poem
    That is my day!

  12. Ashley says:

    Great poem,it reminds me of my life……..exactly

  13. Aimeee.. says:

    Wow great poem its really deep. and i cant wait til the next one. i love your work.

  14. Lightfoot says:

    you know i really like your insights on life and its miserys. i could say that i can relate to the poems you write but these are about you, not every one else.i find that you can interperate life experiences in a beautiful way and each time i read your work i realise i still have a long way to go as a writer. i only wish we had more people like you in the world.

  15. Tom says:

    You really hit this one on the head for me, minus the coffee. Although I'm not depressed every time I'm in the diner… it's a damn good description. 🙂

  16. Matthiias says:

    beautiful,it sounds like me every valentine's day :)lol ….but I will not say I can relate,for no one truly knows the sorrows and pain in another's heart

  17. Raven 72 says:

    Very nice poem. I read this and though "Amazing."

  18. ??? says:

    Me and my boyfriend recentley seperated and this it like the way i feel since we have :'(

  19. Meg says:

    Hits the soul once again. Read it several times over and I can relate to it in some areas and some not at all. No one can know the horrers in anothers heart but you sure come close. I love you as a writer.

  20. megan says:

    Raven. I do admit this is the best yet. I can't describe how it made me feel. The way you spoke of unwantedness and yet the unhearted feeling of a strange comfort. I do say that this is utterly incredible.

  21. Edgar says:

    hey raven good poem. keep them comming homie

  22. Courtney says:

    As the years go by, and as you continue to write your poetry, it's obvious that your work progresses every time. Making this one truely a work of art.

  23. pyro_grl says:

    wow.. very nice poem along with your other works as well. they are all very beautiful in mysterious ways.

  24. Matt says:

    Like all of you poetry, good.. but it seems forced. It doesn't feel quite genuine. It's like.. a good African poet trying to write about the holocaust.

  25. Sara says:

    This poem, so much like your others in this one way at least: you are able to strike that chord within all of us, the one that so many times we are unable to put into words for others, or even ourselves, to understand just what we are trying to say. The incapability I know I feel at being unable to figure out just who I am, and as much as I may search for that truth, either in myself or in the arms of someone I love, I am unable to pinpoint any type of answer. You're a wonderful writer, and I have ever been grateful for the introduction my friends provided to your work.

  26. Hugh says:

    I liked it. Many more to come I hope.

  27. Dark1'ssoul says:

    Another awesome poem. Your writings relate to me in so many ways. When i read them, it's like they're all about me. I don't know where you get your inspiration from but your are a very talented artist who needs to keep the great work coming.Good Job and Good luck!

  28. enitharmon says:

    You're poetry is direct. A bit too direct, for my taste. You don't leave much to the imagination. Very few powerful or striking images. The mood the poem is supposed to convey could come out much stronger. Figures of speech (metaphor, simile, (internal or end) rhyme, alliteration, suggestion, etc.), when properly used, can enormously help to acchieve that.

    Poetry is not meant to convey facts, but to be experienced, to be aesthetically enjoyed.

    enitharmon

  29. Kitty says:

    i read all of your poems and i love them all. i hope you keep writing these poems as beautiful as the ones before them. Keep it up. ^-^ i do write some poetry myslef and at the moment i am makeing my vary own website if i do get the chance to get it set up i well give it to you to check out.

    Kitty.

  30. Nadia says:

    as i have already told you, i love this poem.

  31. Rohan says:

    great poem. It relates to me well. Its almost the same situation with me at this point in my life, as a crisis has occured. great work and I look forward to reading yet another incredible poem by you.

    ~Rohan~

  32. Giovanni says:

    I can feel the everlasting emptiness and compels me to think that I, Giovanni, will be in desolation. Great imagery.

    "As ye sow, so shall ye reap."

  33. Alain says:

    i know your poem is more than the mythical pattern of a person who is isolated from the rest because he is meant to be alone by circumstances; seeks refuge in his aloneness and finds meaninglessness in life in place (such this inn, etc.) where he can think about the emptiness and miseries in life; more than this, i know…

  34. Shelly says:

    I disagree with enitharmon, there is a type of poetry called stream of conscious…and it is meant to be written literally…it is exactly what it says…a stream of your thoughts…to me, this is the best kind of poetry…I love your poetry Raven…keep up the wonderful work…
    Shelly

  35. Ireth says:

    Your words penetrate my soul releasing smothered emotions held within so long. Good to know you're not alone in this plague. Mental anguish infects us all.

  36. suicidal_soul says:

    i wish i had so much talent to express my emotion so clearly!

  37. jade says:

    this is a very cool poem..i can so relate to it…good job raven..jade*

  38. gatewolf says:

    Awesome imagery! I felt like I was there with you. You have a wonderful gift. One question- how do you write when your muse is malfunctioning? When you have no ideas and the blank lines are taunting you?

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