Paper edges curl and fray
In the ruins where I stay
Velvet paws on cold grey stone
In this shrine I walk alone
The orange spark begins to leap
While the weary watchers sleep
I curl tight beside the heat
Feeling rhythms in the beat
Ash and ink and ember light
Keeping back the hollow night
Sooty fur and heavy gold
Stories that the ruins hold
Leather bindings smell of pine
Tracing every jagged line
Iron gates are rusted red
Where the ancient kings were led
The orange spark begins to leap
While the weary watchers sleep
I curl tight beside the heat
Feeling rhythms in the beat
Ash and ink and ember light
Keeping back the hollow night
Sooty fur and heavy gold
Stories that the ruins hold
Sooty whiskers twitch and sway
Watching all the ghosts decay
Cold wind bites the open door
Scattered pages on the floor
Licking paws in rhythmic time
Counting bells that cease to chime
Warmth is just a flickering ghost
Here where I am needed most
Ash and ink and ember light
Keeping back the hollow night
Sooty fur and heavy gold
Stories that the ruins hold
Ink is drying on the page
Turning over every age
Wait for one who brings the flame
Calling out a forgotten name
Ash and ink and ember light
Keeping back the hollow night
Sooty fur and heavy gold
Stories that the ruins hold
Ink and ember, gold and grey
Stay with me until the day
Just stay here until the day
