The time I wrote my big-ass essay
about staying at the 24-hour Red Lion Diner
during a late-night snowstorm
was posed as an adventure
but I did it when my friends
had opted to hitch-hike back to school after midnight
and that was just a bridge too far
over the bridge back to Amherst.

So I stayed in Northampton overnight
looking for stories in a sleepy greasy spoon
where really,
everyone was just looking for a little peace and quiet
and really,
I was just looking for a little safety and security
and everybody got what they were looking for.

Just to set the record straight.