Hole In The Wall

I sat at the bar,
Nursing my drink
Like it was the last goddamn thing on earth.
The neon signs buzzed above my head,
Like soothing lullabies
From a world
I could never fully understand.
I watched the people around me;
The sad sacks
And the hopeless romantics,
All drowning their sorrows
In cheap whiskey
And unfulfilled dreams.

I lit a cigarette
And took a drag,
The smoke like a lazy fog
In the dimly lit room.
The jukebox in the corner
Crackled to life
And some old blues tune
Started playing.
I closed my eyes
And let the music wash over me,
Like the waves
Of an indifferent sea.

The bartender poured me another drink,
His apron dusty
And stained with years
Of spilled booze
And broken hearts.
I raised my glass to him,
A silent salute
To his unwavering loyalty
To this dingy,
Forgotten hole-in-the-wall.

I took another drag on my cigarette
And let the smoke curl around my face,
A fleeting moment
Of peace
In a world gone mad.
This city was a hard place,
Full of broken dreams
And shattered hopes.
But it was my home,
And no matter how much
It tried to grind me down,
I always found my way back.

I finished my drink
And stubbed out my cigarette.
It was time to go,
Time to face
The world outside
These dingy bar walls.
But I knew I'd be back,
Back to this place
Of beautiful losers
And weary dreamers.
Because here,
In this dimly lit
Hole-in-the-wall,
I found something that was
Harder and rarer to come by
Than gold or diamonds,
A glimmer of hope,
A spark of humanity,
A moment of peace
In a world gone mad.