Grease-stained fingers trace the blue line down
Coffee ring marks the uptown crown
Stations faded into yellowed gray
Trains that vanished years ago today
Map of eighty-two holds the night
Fog rolls thick on rails out of sight
Paper corners folded sharp and deep
Promises the city could not keep
Short order grill sings metallic song
Regulars know where they belong
Eggs flip over on the seasoned steel
Map stays quiet made of paper real
Map of eighty-two holds the night
Fog rolls thick on rails out of sight
Paper corners folded sharp and deep
Promises the city could not keep
Muted trumpet bleeds from kitchen radio
Signals blinking in the yard below
Red line crosses where the freight yards sleep
Cook flips a burger doesn't make a peep
Dawn cracks slow on Lexington
Steam cuts through the rising dawn
Timetable torn and weather-worn
New lines built on paths old and gone
Waitress pours the bottomless cup
Map gets folded standing up
Shift ends slow on checkerboard floor
Ghost trains rumble by the back door
Map of eighty-two holds the night
Fog rolls thick on rails out of sight
Paper corners folded sharp and deep
Promises the city could not keep
Pocket square holds the creased design
Forgotten routes and county line
Cook walks out to morning air
Map sleeps safe in the wooden chair
Map of eighty-two holds the night
Fog rolls thick on rails out of sight
Paper corners folded sharp and deep
Promises the city could not keep
Fog lifts slow on Eighth Avenue
Map remembers what we never knew