White glaze catches fluorescent glow
Steam rises where the cold winds blow
Card catalog draws breath in dust
Mug stands guard on wooden crust
Ceramic sentinel holds the line
Through endless night and morning shine
Chipped rim remembers every hand
Keeps watch o'er this forgotten land
Condensation rings map the years
Counting down the archivist's tears
Dewey decimals fade to gray
Mug remains to face the day
Alto hum from half-remembered psalm
Rises where the shadows calm
Breath held long in measured phrase
Mug reflects the dusty rays
Ceramic sentinel holds the line
Through endless night and morning shine
Chipped rim remembers every hand
Keeps watch o'er this forgotten land
Handle warm from fingers gone
Steam writes psalms on ceramic dawn
No voice left to sing the part
Only mud and fired art
Shelves lean deep in quiet trust
Mug collects the settling dust
Final page turned lights go dim
Ceramic hymn stays fixed to him
Ceramic sentinel holds the line
Through endless night and morning shine
Chipped rim remembers every hand
Keeps watch o'er this forgotten land
Steam curls slow from ceramic crown
Basement hum keeps turning round
