Another Cigarette

The passing shoes and heels walk by

The door revolves endlessly

still

But amongst the crowd, "Veronique!",

A man calls out

I wait

Copper street lights shine on her

Her cigarette embers

glow beneath

The short-skirted beauty

The fragile youth

A girl

She’d light another one each night after

placing it down to drink

Never finishing

She smiled in those mornings before

she would leave again

As usual

Night falls when she enters the van

Daylight brings her out

her purse filled

A starless night comes to the door

Veronique slips away

gone

Still

Glancing to that street corner

Maybe to see her glittered eyes again

Someone else

Her place filled without her

That rare laugh rattles my head

I’m still

holding her cigarettes

She’ll come back,

The Night always does