After Midnight

Keys on the counter,
coat on the chair.
I leave the whole day
folded back there.
The avenue empties,
the engine runs low,
and every red signal
gives me room to go.
You name
the deadline, the words I regret
shrink in the mirror with every mile left.
After midnight,
everything feels right.
Windows down,
I let the city slide.
After midnight,
I can breathe again. Past the last turn, past the where and when.
After midnight,
everything feels right.
Everything feels right.
Storefronts drift by
in a ribbon of blue.
The old bridge opens
to a wide-open view.
No one is asking
what I’ll be tomorrow.
For one quiet hour,
I borrow the road.
The day’s little disasters loosen their hold.
I follow the lanes where the night unfolds.
After midnight,
everything feels right.
Windows down,
I let the city slide.
After midnight,
I can breathe again. Past the last turn, past the where and when.
After midnight,
everything feels right.
I don’t need a map, I don’t need a plan.
Just one more mile till I know who I am.
The weight in the backseat slips out of sight.
I keep on moving into the night.
After midnight, after midnight,
everything feels right.
Windows down,
I let the city slide.
After midnight,
I can breathe again. Past the last turn, past the where and when.
After midnight, everything feels right.
Everything feels right.
After midnight, everything feels right.