Steel ribs curve around the bay
Silver hands mark night and day
Lens cap off and focus clear
Catches light far and near
Film winds slow in zero spin
Frames the dark from deep within
Copper case wears thumbprint grooves
Counting down what distance proves
Acrylic cracks but glass holds tight
Glowing hands cut through the night
Shutter snaps the floating dust
Seconds hang in metal crust
Pocket watch in hangar light
Burns a hole in endless night
Tick tock pulses through the steel
Heartbeat that the stars can feel
Camera catches every gleam
Time survives the space between
Magnetic boots on grated floor
Watch the seconds sweep once more
Viewfinder frames the golden glow
Only thing that moves is slow
Negative holds frozen breath
Life persists despite the death
Pocket watch in hangar light
Burns a hole in endless night
Tick tock pulses through the steel
Heartbeat that the stars can feel
Camera catches every gleam
Time survives the space between
No bus ticket home tonight
Just the watch and cold starlight
But the click says I remain
Every frame defies the pain
Lens flares write my name in gold
Stories that are never old
Developer smells like rain
Bringing ghosts back once again
Silver halide blooms in tray
Images that live and stay
Fixer baths the final rinse
Memory saved from consequence
Hangar doors stay sealed and cold
Watch keeps time as stars unfold
Shutter clicks mark each new frame
Every exposure stakes a claim
Contact sheets float weightless now
Orbit holds the here and how
Pocket watch in hangar light
Burns a hole in endless night
Tick tock pulses through the steel
Heartbeat that the stars can feel
Camera catches every gleam
Time survives the space between
Shutter sings the final frame
Watch face glows in vacuum dark
Shutter clicks mark time apart