i brought waffles home

lilly worked at Ihop
the night shift,
when it was mostly
cops
and truck drivers,
dead beats
and losers coming in
half lit
on cheap wine, or beer.
the tips were okay.
sometimes she'd peel off
her pink uniform
and leave it lying
at the foot
of the bed in a pastel
puddle
of stained clothes.
I could smell the syrup
on her body,
the slickness of fried
eggs and bacon.
hashbrowns.
sometimes her pen
would still be in her hair
as she snuggled up
beside me.
I brought waffles home,
she'd whisper, kissing
me on the cheek before
falling into
a deep sleep that freed
her from
the life she was living.