Perpetual

The hectic nights spent
On another friend's couch;
The scratchy throat quelled
With a wakeup coughing fit;
The cardboard meals bought
From breaking the cushion bank;
The car engine laughing
With the morning turnover;
The blown speaker sputter
Of the static-spitting stereo;
The weekend work daze
Bridging one hangover to the next;
The late hours lost
In a cloud of smoke;
The desperate call placed
To whomever picked up last week—