Nightwatchmen

To the girl among nightwatchmen My other, my joy with your oil-drum fire You were my gentle unfolding The wool and the dye, the needle and eye These songs you sing as you waltz her up the stairs And the boy smiles at the wheels of the chair We are loved for these things that pass us by All we're good for As the sand flows into the hourglass You hold every grain that it might remain Part of me wants to see you crumble Like those toys on a plinth Pool of alabaster limbs into my arms So that I might have my place Although the crutch may just serve To dull the only blade That you brought to this fight Let's go another round Let's go another round To the girl among nightwatchmen The long fingers of morning Will take you by the hand Precious stones, they're all spoken for You've chosen the tunes Everything is just so, is just so And now birdsong, ice clinking in the sun Drip feed of gentle talk and pleasantries And I wait for a gap in the traffic To tell her I'll always hold you close It's all I'm good for