There's a rumored state;

not a place or a mindset,

but the thing that happens

when the sun falls from the sky.

Now, some would call this night,

while others would just roll their eyes

before rolling over in bed.

Until you have worked

those hours of darkness

standing at a counter

in the same monotonous pattern,

this non-state cannot exist to your mind.

In the first hour,

things are always too busy

for you to notice what's going on.

So the sun creeps down

closer to the horizon,

and with the last customer of the rush,

the darkness has come.

It sits off in its corner,

held back by storelights and streetlights

and houselights and carlights,

growling every once in a while.

Just blink your eyes and find a new task;

looking out the window

isn't required in this job.

Not much of anything

is required in this job,

save the ability to

let your mind go blank.

Drift away and wander

and find sunlit patches

in the dreams and fantasies

on the outskirts of your thoughts.

Add maybe a bit of patience

with the myriad

(yes, thousands)

of drunks and stoned kids

you get in only a month.

Admittedly, they tip well,

but the one who leave behind

their puke and even blood

aren't going to be welcomed back warmly

any time soon.

Even in the back,

a mindless automaton

that scoops muffin batter

and scrapes donuts through icing

and icing off donuts,

who never gets to see a window anyway;

even this poor creature

is caught in this special

in between place.

Bleary-eyed

and only grunting when addressed,

no longer understanding

why people ingest

what this creature creates.

The world and its contents

skip by in a haze;

nothing is real

in this lack of light.

Eight hours dissolve

and you stumble home,

unable to after that

even imagine sleep.