Wiping down the counter at three A.
M.
Black leather case by the back door mat
Coffee pot sings a steamy hymn
Forgotten treasure where the drunks all sat
Silver halide dreams in a basement deep
Where the saxophone plays low and sweet
Tri-X grain on a contact sheet
Memories the darkroom gets to keep
Joe the sax man orders eggs over light
Says he left his Rollei in the alleyway
I flip the hash browns golden brown and white
Tell him developed shots will see the day
Silver halide dreams in a basement deep
Where the saxophone plays low and sweet
Tri-X grain on a contact sheet
Memories the darkroom gets to keep
Brass mouthpiece shine on a velvet chair
Candles melt on a beer-stained piano top
Shutter clicks freeze the smoke in the air
Time stands still but the music won't stop
Silver halide dreams in a basement deep
Where the saxophone plays low and sweet
Tri-X grain on a contact sheet
Memories the darkroom gets to keep
Bell rings sharp for an order of rye
Negatives sleep where the shadows lie
Hash browns sizzle on the grill so hot
Developing in a chemical pot
Twelve frames captured on a dusty roll
Blurred sax solos by a shaking hand
Developer brings out the broken soul
Silver ghosts rising from the pan
Dawn breaks hard on the Clark Street bend
Camera rests on the shelf above
Wet prints hanging on a wooden line
Chicago wakes to a brand new love
Silver halide dreams in a basement deep
Where the saxophone plays low and sweet
Tri-X grain on a contact sheet
Memories the darkroom gets to keep
Silver halide waltz in morning light
Fade to black on the contact sheet
