Copper face catches the weak October sun
Numbers worn smooth by a thumb that knew tides
Each tick marks a boot heel on Beacon Hill brick
Keeper's rhythm measured in foghorn breath
Watch counts steps on the Commonwealth Avenue
Seconds fall like leaves on the Charles River walk
Two hands sweep past the hours we once tended
Time keeps moving where lamplight used to talk
She adjusts her scarf against the Nor'easter bite
Her grandfather's gift ticks against her palm
Bricks remember every sole that pressed them down
History hums beneath the rubber soles
Watch counts steps on the Commonwealth Avenue
Seconds fall like leaves on the Charles River walk
Two hands sweep past the hours we once tended
Time keeps moving where lamplight used to talk
I polished glass until my fingertips bled
Guided schooners past the Graves Light rocks
Now I trace the grooves where ships' names carved deep
Retirement tastes like kelp and cold coffee
Watch counts steps on the Commonwealth Avenue
Seconds fall like leaves on the Charles River walk
Two hands sweep past the hours we once tended
Time keeps moving where lamplight used to talk
Gear teeth mesh in a dance no storm could break
Spring unwinds slow as tide through Race Point
We meet where the sidewalk curves past the garden
Two keepers counting what the light leaves behind
She winds the crown at midnight precise
I tap the case to hear the mechanism sing
Bronze grows warm between our shared silence
Boston brick holds the warmth of our palms
Watch counts steps on the Commonwealth Avenue
Seconds fall like leaves on the Charles River walk
Two hands sweep past the hours we once tended
Time keeps moving where lamplight used to talk
Brass and brick keep the rhythm we taught them
Steady as breath in the lantern room dark
Tick follows tock on the ancient pavement
Keeper's pulse rests in the metal heart
