Taxi idles low on cobblestone
Night shift done he heads toward home
Ceramic mug sits on the pier
Steam climbs up through morning air
Gulls cry loud above the slack tide line
Wooden pilings wear the barnacle sign
Mug handle cold against the splintered rail
Fog lifts slow revealing ferry trail
Ceramic curve catches morning light
Glowing soft against the dock's old white
Taxi man tips hat to the new day
Mug stays put while ferries make their way
Coffee stain maps out a continent
Each ring a mile that the night shift spent
Porcelain chip tells a story true
Of sudden stops and mornings blue
Ceramic curve catches morning light
Glowing soft against the dock's old white
Taxi man tips hat to the new day
Mug stays put while ferries make their way
Rain may come and tide will rise
Salt will etch the mug's disguise
But ceramic holds what metal can't
Warmth that lasts while engines rant
Ferry horn blasts through the waking air
Schedule posted on the wooden stair
Driver checks his watch and starts the wheel
Mug left behind on the dock of steel
Tires hum on asphalt ribbon road
Carrying the city's heavy load
But back at dock the mug remains
Catching light through window panes
Ceramic curve catches morning light
Glowing soft against the dock's old white
Taxi man tips hat to the new day
Mug stays put while ferries make their way
Steam still rises long after he's gone
Dawn's first promise lives in ceramic dawn
Mug at dawn holds the day's first ray
Warmth that stays when light turns gray
