Aggregate Witness

[Verse 1]
At the Tempelhofer Damm, where the concrete sweats,
A single chalk-mark from a survey test.
We press our thumbs there when the S-Bahn overhead
Shakes loose the dust of every word unsaid.
A nervous habit since the first November frost,
Touching the scar to measure what it cost.

[Chorus]
One touch for the load-bearing.
One for the shear.
We pretend we don't see each other doing it here.

[Verse 2]
Last week, you saw me under the sodium glare.
You said, "It's holding up the sky, I swear."
Then coughed into your glove, a sharp and sudden sound,
And fixed your eyes intently on the ground.
A cantilevered moment, hanging in the grey,
The kind of thing we never, ever say.

[Chorus]
One touch for the load-bearing.
One for the shear.
We pretend we don't see each other doing it here.

[Bridge]
A silent poll on a retaining wall.
The city's memory when the particulates fall.

[Outro]
Just the cold grit.
Just the chalk.