Drawbridge Theory

[Verse 1]
Causton Bluff bridge back in humid August, cheap lighter fluid,
The smell of the marsh gas and diesel exhaust is
A permanent ghost in the back of my sinuses.
We were cataloging what the divine is, you were climbing the high beams,
I was checking the tide charts, living on high-caffeine daydreams.
Felt like the pylons were holding the whole damn sky up.
Said if you jumped, I’d jump. We let the whole night dry up
Talking biology, bravado, and other new testaments.

[Chorus]
Now the tide's coming in, all the checks are clearing.
Still hear the bell ring, that metal-on-metal shearing.
The gap gets wider, the feeling gets older.
Got a new car, same chip on my shoulder.

[Verse 2]
Tuesday morning, bagging up Black Kow manure for a garden club member,
She wanted a Fiddle Leaf Fig, I try to remember
Her face but they all kinda blur to a pastel wash.
She said, “You’re a natural, dear,” and I just said, “Oh, gosh.”
Felt like a damn invasive species, a Carolina Jessamine
Choking a Live Oak, pretty, but full of poison specimen.
I count the cash in the breakroom, the bills stick to my thumb.
I pay my rent from this red clay, but still feel kinda numb.

[Chorus]
Yeah, the tide's coming in, and the water looks murky.
Still hear the bell ring, feel that old kind of jumpy.
The gap gets wider, the feeling gets colder.
Got a good job, same chip on my shoulder.

[Bridge]
It’s just phototaxis, I'm leaning toward the payment,
Ignoring the taproot in the cracked-up pavement.
A simple reaction to stimulus, nothing profound here.
Just trying to photosynthesize a life out of the fear.

[Outro]
Bridge is going up. Traffic's stopped for a tanker.
I sit in the silence, dropping my anchor.