Corrective Refraction

[Verse 1]
The Circle K on Mesa Street, eleven-oh-four P.M.
The freezer hums a low G sharp against the August hem.
A girl with a small cross tattooed right there on her wrist,
He's got a rental's paper tag, a condescending twist.

[Chorus]
Corrective refraction, a sleight-of-hand subtraction.
The numbers blur under the halogen glare,
And I watch her make the balance fair.

[Verse 2]
He says, "Just the water, hurry up, hon."
A crisp fifty smacks the counter, already wants to run.
Her face is a flat, perfect pressure front,
A little supercell of what she wants.

[Chorus]
Corrective refraction, a sleight-of-hand subtraction.
The numbers blur under the halogen glare,
And I watch her make the balance fair.

[Bridge]
(Rhythmic, percussive vocal chant)
Fifty minus three-oh-five.
Is forty-six ninety-five.
Twenty-six. A folded lie.
Never even blinked an eye.

[Chorus]
Corrective refraction, a sleight-of-hand subtraction!
The numbers blur under the halogen glare,
And I watch her make the balance fair!

[Outro]
The twenty goes under the till.
The whole damn world gets very still.