The Mall Eats Summers

Verse 1Big glass box on the edge of town
all bright logos and promises of air-conditioned escape from bug bites and boredom
Food court fries scent the tiled air
arcade bells shriek over pop songs
mannequins freeze mid-stride in outfits no one here can afford
Kids roam in herds, pockets light
hearts heavy with crushes and secrets

None of them notice the way the ceiling vents sigh
pulling something invisible down over their shoulders.
Verse 2Closed department stores stand dark behind metal teeth
once proud, now hollow
perfect dens for whatever wants shade and square footage
Security cameras swivel a little too late
catching only after-images

smears on tape that no one wants to pause and study
The fountain in the center coughs coins from time to time
spitting wishes back like it grew tired of holding them
Fluorescent signs flicker in patterns that do not match any sale schedule.
Pre-ChorusSummer got shorter after this place opened
or maybe it just felt shorter, Hours vanished inside
replaced by receipts and vague unease.

ChorusThe mall eats summers one paycheck at a time
one friendship at a time, one nervous laugh at a time
Behind every shuttered storefront a new echo waits for a night with no customers
When the last car leaves the lot and the locks click
something huge stretches under the tiles
All that teenage noise left behind as a seasoning on its tongue.

BridgeNight crew hears more than squeaky carts and humming freezers
Stockers swear they glimpse faces in dark glass where their reflection ought to be
A janitor mop-trails around crimson streaks that weren’t there a second ago
wink out as soon as he looks down
Elevators open on floors that don’t exist during the day
numbers glowing wrong on the panel before snapping back to normal.