I polished brass until the lens breathed clear
Salt crust falls like snow on Paris stone
The lamp still sweeps though no shore is near
My bones keep time with a tide I've known
Wood remembers water in its grain
Zinc roof holds the rain but not the same
Oars rest quiet on the gutter chain
Dreams of current call each plank by name
This boat was built for breaking blue wave crests
Now rocking slow on chimney pot nests
No gulls cry out just sparrows at their best
A keel on tile finds strange deep rest
Waxed hemp rope coils where geraniums bloom
Tar scent mixes with the bakery yeast
I watch the Eiffel Tower pierce the gloom
No compass needed for this cardinal feast
Wood drinks the mist but thirst remains
Zinc roof drinks the rain but not the same
Oars kiss the tile ignore their chains
Dreams of deep green call each plank by name
This boat was built for breaking blue wave crests
Now rocking slow on chimney pot nests
No gulls cry out just sparrows at their best
A keel on tile finds strange deep rest
Morning brings the market cart wheels' song
Evening brings the wine glass clink and toast
I trim a wick that burns the whole night long
This terrace holds the ocean I love most
This boat was built for breaking blue wave crests
Now rocking slow on chimney pot nests
No gulls cry out just sparrows at their best
A keel on tile finds strange deep rest
Storm glass rises steady on the sill
Barometer hand trembles at the change
No waves will crash no spray will ever spill
Just chimney smoke that drifts in strange exchange
This boat was built for breaking blue wave crests
Now rocking slow on chimney pot nests
No gulls cry out just sparrows at their best
A keel on tile finds strange deep rest
Two voices chart a course on dry land maps
One reads the stars one reads the gutter lines
No harbor master calls us from our naps
Just Paris light on copper wood and pines
This boat was built for breaking blue wave crests
Now rocking slow on chimney pot nests
No gulls cry out just sparrows at their best
A keel on tile finds strange deep rest
This boat was built for breaking blue wave crests
Now rocking slow on chimney pot nests
No gulls cry out just sparrows at their best
A keel on tile finds strange deep rest
Telecaster fades on the Seine air
Bass walks home beneath the zinc roof line
