Saw a tabby slip the bookstore door
Paw prints wet on the wooden floor
Crossed the avenue where the semi trucks roar
Headed for the bridge and the misty shore
Tomcat on the trestle walking the rail
Mist hangs heavy on his matted tail
No fare to collect no destination set
Just the river breathing deep and wet
Pages stuck to his ruffled coat
Ink stains drying on his throat
He knows the rhythm of the ferry boat
And the schedule that the captain wrote
Tomcat on the trestle walking the rail
Mist hangs heavy on his matted tail
No fare to collect no destination set
Just the river breathing deep and wet
Yellow eyes cut the sodium glare
Unbothered by the cold night air
Dispatch crackles buddy you still there
I watch the cat like he hasn't a care
Tomcat on the trestle walking the rail
Mist hangs heavy on his matted tail
No fare to collect no destination set
Just the river breathing deep and wet
Iron girders hum a low bass note
Vibration rising in his throat
He pauses where the cables float
A king collecting a silent vote
Wipers swing a lazy arc
Radio sings a static spark
He owns the night he owns the dark
No meter running no remarks
Dawn cracks pale on the water glass
Another shift another pass
He slips back where the paperbacks mass
Waiting for the evening class
Tomcat on the trestle walking the rail
Mist hangs heavy on his matted tail
No fare to collect no destination set
Just the river breathing deep and wet
Tomcat on the trestle nine lives paid
Best fare this hack has ever made
Meter reads zero on the dash
Fog eats the headlights turns to ash
