I trimmed the wick at three bells dawn
The Fresnel lens caught salt and swan
Now Paris roofs stretch slate and grey
I watch a calico waste away
Rust on zinc and copper fur
Orange melting into blur
No lantern here to guide her home
Just chimney pots and smoke and loam
Rust on zinc she purrs so low
A keeper's eye sees what you know
Her ribs show sharp like reef at ebb
One ear notched clean from some old web
She kneads the gutter's leaden seam
And dreams of fish and oil and steam
I kept the log for thirty year
Noted wind and cloud and gear
This terrace holds no sector light
Just pigeons cooing through the night
Rust on zinc and copper fur
Orange melting into blur
No lantern here to guide her home
Just chimney pots and smoke and loam
Rust on zinc she purrs so low
A keeper's eye sees what you know
The beam swept wide across the sound
Now silence rings where gulls once wound
But in her throat a motor runs
A lighthouse built of dust and sun
No storm pane between her and rain
Just zinc and rust and muted pain
Morning paints the mansard rose
She lifts her head the copper glows
I bring a tin of sardine oil
And watch her drink the spoils of toil
Rust on zinc and copper fur
Orange melting into blur
No lantern here to guide her home
Just chimney pots and smoke and loam
Rust on zinc she purrs so low
A keeper's eye sees what you know
Rust on zinc and thinning fur
Keeper's watch is done my dear
