Iron skin turned a deep shade of red
Near the booth where the coffee is spread
Dry as loam in a July heat haze
Counting hours in a fluorescent daze
Wait for the rain in a galvanized shell
Sifting the salt from a roadside spell
Rooted in grit while the headlights roll by
Under a heavy and colorless sky
Monera blooms on a cracked vinyl seat
Tapping a rhythm to a slow steady beat
Linnaeus would name every stain on the floor
Watching the wind push the heavy glass door
Wait for the rain in a galvanized shell
Sifting the salt from a roadside spell
Rooted in grit while the headlights roll by
Under a heavy and colorless sky
A sprig of mint in a chipped plastic cup
Looking for light as the morning wakes up
Patient as peat in a dark winter hold
Turning the copper to shimmering gold
Wait for the rain in a galvanized shell
Sifting the salt from a roadside spell
Rooted in grit while the headlights roll by
Under a heavy and colorless sky
Steel meets the oil on a linoleum plane
Dreaming of rivers and cold autumn rain
Deep in the marrow where the minerals sleep
Promises made that the iron will keep
Wait for the rain in a galvanized shell
Sifting the salt from a roadside spell
Rooted in grit while the headlights roll by
Under a heavy and colorless sky
Sifting the salt.
Rust and root.
Rust and root.
