Alem's Regular

[Verse 1]
The dent in the tin-top table at Alem's, four PM.
You trace the circle with a cold thumb, again and again.
Your headphones leak the same D'Angelo bassline.
A winter-pruned jasmine, just waiting for a sign.

[Chorus]
And I see it in your hands,
That little bit of warmth.
A stubborn root that understands
The cracks in the north-facing wall.

[Verse 2]
For weeks, the shadow of his car across the glass.
The slow drip of sugar in your cup, you made it last.
Today the order's different, you look me in the eye.
"Just black today," you whisper, and I don't ask why.

[Bridge]
Ababa used to say 'tagesh' when the frost came through.
I see the thaw begin to settle over you.
I rewind the silent film of every afternoon.

[Outro]
That little bit of warmth...
Through the cracks in the wall.