The Teacup and the Bell

Verse

I pedal past the soda lamp and the diner with dust-washed glass
Flour on my apron, bell on the rack, tires whisper on cinder and ash
The counter's lit by a single bulb, a stool saved like an old glove
He sets a plate for two at nine o'clock, keeps an empty chair for love

Chorus

Doo-wop doo-wah, snap your fingers slow
Harmonica moans where the hollow winds blow
Doo-wop doo-wah, come sit by me, friend
Bring your cracked little teacup, hush the long gray end

Verse

I hand him the parcel, tied with twine from a ration spool
He unties with hands that know the map of every crater and school
Inside a chipped teacup, a photograph frayed at the seam
He smiles like a bell remembering the pier and the steam

Chorus

Doo-wop doo-wah, snap your fingers slow
Harmonica moans where the hollow winds blow
Doo-wop doo-wah, your stool's pulled close
He pours two tiny cups of tea and says, "Sit down, I suppose"

Bridge

spoken word

No parcel holds all the highways or the songs the radios knew
But a cup and a scrap can fix a place for two

Chorus

Doo-wop doo-wah, snap your fingers slow
Harmonica moans where the hollow winds blow
Doo-wop doo-wah, the counter's our world
I stay till the bell on my bike goes soft and curled