Night Watchmen

[poise n pen]

yet another username. can't login under my old one. *sigh*

Night Watchman

I stopped by old Pedro’s taco wagon
Got his last tamales for the night
Saw the glow along the seaside alleys
When the strip joints had turned on their lights
Then I got a call from sweet Carmella
Smiled a bit and checked my pawn shop watch
Popped a coupla No Doz, chased some punks n hobos
From behind a waterfront garage
And a shooting star across the factories
Seemed to splash some color on the smoky breeze

I’m a night watchman
I feel blind unless the sky is black
Cos when daylight disappears,
Then tomorrow seems so clear
When the darkness watches back

Other guards’ll pass the time till mornin’
Dealin’ solitaire on packing crates
Me, I walk the block and shine my flashlight
Findin’ coins n bills on curbs and grates
Just last month I found a shiny gold ring
On the curb outside of Joe’s café
Joe’s fiancé caught him with a waitress
Ham n eggin’ in the alleyway
And I’ve seen starlight swimmin’ near the harbor boats
As if heaven helps those vessels stay afloat

I’m a night watchman
I feel blind unless the sky is black
Cos when daylight disappears,
Then tomorrow seems so clear
When the darkness watches back

Had an hour till I saw Carmella
She got off at two from that saloon
Threw a new tarp on some cardboard boxes
Laid out napkins, plastic knives n spoons
Lamplight shone upon her hair and shoulders
When she walked in off the boulevard
Yeah, the night was moody, and her quiet beauty
Seemed to whisper softly to my heart
Midnight foghorns on the bay began to moan
Serenading us like ghostly saxophones

I’m a night watchman
I feel blind unless the sky is black
Cos when daylight disappears,
Then tomorrow seems so clear
When the darkness watches back

I poured cheap wine from my bent-up thermos
And we shared a toast with paper cups
Then she spilled it on the gold ring she found
When she opened her tamale up
Then I kissed her in that old warehouse
And I slipped forever on her hand
Then when dawn began to guild the skyline
We walked past the piers along the sand
And I smiled across her shoulder at the bay
As an ivory slice of moon just slipped away

I’m a night watchman
I feel blind unless the sky is black
Cos when daylight disappears,
Then tomorrow seems so clear
When the darkness watches back

©2010 Robert George