Frost bites copper gears at dawn
Apprentice breath clouds cobblestone
Screwdriver slips from numb thumb bone
Spring unspools, the tension gone
My hands remember every turn
While yours forget the wounds they earn
Brass teeth mesh in frozen oil
Midnight strikes on broken coil
Camera flash steals grey morning light
Teen runaway frames the alley's bite
Shutter clicks like escapement's snap
Time exposed in chemical trap
My hands remember every turn
While yours forget the wounds they earn
Brass teeth mesh in frozen oil
Midnight strikes on broken coil
Mainspring screams in twisted steel
Fingers bleed on gear and wheel
Master sleeps above the shop
While pendulum performs its drop
My hands remember every turn
While yours forget the wounds they earn
Brass teeth mesh in frozen oil
Midnight strikes on broken coil
Snow settles on the workshop floor
Boy counts frames, needs just one more
Negative shows gears in disarray
My face reflects his decay
My hands remember every turn
While yours forget the wounds they earn
Brass teeth mesh in frozen oil
Midnight strikes on broken coil
Tick by tick, we both unwind
Seconds stitch what hours tear
Silent witness, winding here
