Salt on the lens rust on the reel
Tide charts folded made of steel
Now I watch the sprouts climb high
Where the beam once cut the sky
Fog used to swallow the lantern whole
Now condensation claims the glass bowl
Each frame a wave on a leafy shore
I crank the handle not the rope anymore
Light through cracks paints the leaves in silver glow
Old film breathing on the tomato row
Projector hums where the tide once roared
Greenhouse holds what the sea left stored
Sprocket teeth catch the perforated edge
Tomato vines climb the window ledge
Reel spins slow in the humid air
Salt crystals bloom on the projector's hair
Fog used to swallow the lantern whole
Now condensation claims the glass bowl
Each frame a wave on a leafy shore
I crank the handle not the rope anymore
Light through cracks paints the leaves in silver glow
Old film breathing on the tomato row
Projector hums where the tide once roared
Greenhouse holds what the sea left stored
I trimmed the wick at three a.m.
I thread the gate and check the gem
Storms would shake the tower floor
Now the heater hums a low drone roar
Cracked pane sings when the nor'easter blows
Film burns bright where the kelp once grows
Two keepers watching different lights
Same salt blood in our weary eyes
Light through cracks paints the leaves in silver glow
Old film breathing on the tomato row
Projector hums where the tide once roared
Greenhouse holds what the sea left stored
Tomatoes ripen on the silver screen
Salt and celluloid odd machine
We keep the dark we feed the glow
Light through cracks is all we know
Light through cracks paints the leaves in silver glow
Old film breathing on the tomato row
Projector hums where the tide once roared
Greenhouse holds what the sea left stored
Projector hums where the tide once roared
Greenhouse keeps what the sea left stored