The Only 7-Eleven Open This Time of Night | John Barner

mingche lee via Pexels

Is just inside the Svanemøllen S-Train station.
Its dull, chalky light shining over the bike racks,
Like a B-movie celluloid ghost, its pallor draping every face,
Through the cyclonic vortices of trash and fallen leaves.
I start to say, almost embarrassed, I rode all this way
For an overpriced microwave pizza & zero calorie Faxe Kondi
But the screeching of air brakes from the station below
Instantly erases my memory & I linger,
Just perusing the Haribo & Skildpadder, surreptitiously
Watching your face in the uncanny glow.


J.R. Barner is a writer, teacher, and musician living in Athens, Georgia. Reach out to jrbarner.tumblr.com or on Twitter @jrbarner2.

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