Cypress knees break black water skin
Spanish moss hangs thick within
Leather cover cracked at the spine
Fountain pen bleeds indigo line
Count each step on splintered boards
Notebook writes the bayou's codes
Dusk sings verses I once knew
Alto breath in minor blue
Gator slides past cypress knee
Fireflies pulse in symmetry
Magnolia scent climbs the screen
Mosquito whine cuts through the scene
Count each step on splintered boards
Notebook writes the bayou's codes
Dusk sings verses I once knew
Alto breath in minor blue
Water moccasin patterns wake
Humid air makes ink feather break
Half-remembered hymn takes flight
Solfege slips through porch light
Count each step on splintered boards
Notebook writes the bayou's codes
Dusk sings verses I once knew
Alto breath in minor blue
Porch swing creaks a steady beat
Feet tap out the measure complete
Solfege slips from cracked lips now
Do re mi rises fading out
No congregation left to hear
Just cypress standing drawing near
But every footfall writes a line
In leather bound by dusk and time
Final page turns cover seals
Footsteps fade past wooden rails
Notebook rests on splintered boards
Bayou keeps the humming chords
Count each step on splintered boards
Notebook writes the bayou's codes
Dusk sings verses I once knew
Alto breath in minor blue
Count each step on splintered boards
Notebook writes the bayou's codes
Leather breathes with cypress night
Footsteps counted hymn complete