Grease stains map my fingertip ends
Tide charts pinned where sunlight bends
Master sleeps above the shop
I steal his keys and never stop
[Pre-
Gears grind slow in brass casings
Highway hums through morning hazings
Camera hangs from leather strap
One frame catches the bridge snap
Salt gears turn on overpass
Time dissolves in broken glass
Shutter freezes what won't last
Salt gears turn on overpass
Bus ticket burned in ashtray dust
Engine coughs and bites the rust
Film wound tight in denim rim
Horizon line goes dim to dim
[Pre-
Spring unwinds in pocket watch
Waves eat concrete, watch them botch
Viewfinder frames the steel girder
Light reads wrong but stays much firmer
Salt gears turn on overpass
Time dissolves in broken glass
Shutter freezes what won't last
Salt gears turn on overpass
Aperture set to f-stop eight
Gull cries slice through morning late
Focus pulls on rivet heads
History in rust threads
Salt gears turn on overpass
Time dissolves in broken glass
Shutter freezes what won't last
Salt gears turn on overpass
Film canister warms in palm
No darkroom waits, no calm
Developer smells like vinegar
Salt air eats the negative
Salt gears turn on overpass
Time dissolves in broken glass
Shutter freezes what won't last
Salt gears turn on overpass
Master's voice on answer machine
You're late the mainspring needs cleaning
Delete button thumb finds blind
New exposure redesigned
Salt gears turn on overpass
Time dissolves in broken glass
Shutter freezes what won't last
Salt gears turn on overpass
Frame advances motor whirs
Horizon swallows all that stirs