The Watcher in the Chair
Verse 1 You sat inside that sagging chair
blanket on the knees
Regardless of the summer heat or the freezing breeze. Hands around a coffee mug
watching cars go by
Tracking every neighbor with a sharp and critical eye. Mumbling at the guy who let his dog upon the grass
Listening to the arguments through the window glass. You knew the schedule of the street
who was running late
Keeping track of everything from your cushioned state.
Verse 2 Now the chair is facing out
but no one’s sitting there
The cushion holds the shape of you
empty in the air. Dust is on the armrest where your fingers used to tap
When the mail was running late
waking from a nap. I talk to you without a thought
ask about the mess, Silence gives the answer
nothing more and nothing less. Just the hum of the machine
the ticking of the clock, Rattling the nerves again
jarring like a shock.
Pre-Chorus They tell me I should move the chair
rearrange the room
To stop the looking for a ghost inside the afternoon. But moving it would signify that everything is done
Admitting that the time we shared is finished with the run.
Chorus Empty chair beside the glass
watching the world go by, I stumble on the memory
the way you used to sigh. Sunset drags the color out
I see you in the light
Then the shadow takes the room and brings the heavy night. You won’t complain again of how the darkness comes too soon
Or point out how the streetlights look beneath the rising moon.
Verse 3 When the doctor gave the news
you made a little crack
About an excuse to stay inside and never going back. Mayor of the city block
tracking every move
Deciding who was worthy and who had things to prove. Waving at the trucks that passed
scolding all the trash
Even when the voice was thin and turning into ash. Tracking all the living things to keep the dark at bay
Holding onto motion to keep from slipping away.
Pre-Chorus The last week you were stuck in bed
the chair was left alone, Breath was getting heavy
rattling the bone. I tried to close the curtain tight
you asked to see the street, Stubborn till the very end
refusing the defeat.
Chorus Empty chair beside the glass
watching the world go by, I stumble on the memory
the way you used to sigh. Sunset drags the color out
I see you in the light
Then the shadow takes the room and brings the heavy night. You won’t complain again of how the darkness comes too soon
Or point out how the streetlights look beneath the rising moon.
Bridge Sometimes I want to drag it out and leave it on the curb
Let a stranger take it home
let the trash disturb. Imagine it in someone’s house
holding up the old
Keeping someone else’s grief from getting extra cold. But then I grip the fabric tight
just like your fingers did
I cannot let the memory be covered up and hid. I need the shape of where you were
the outline of the spine
Even if it hurts the heart every single time.
Outro Morning comes, I fix the blind
the way you showed me how, Light without the glare
entering the now. Pour a single cup of black
sit upon the floor, Talking to the empty chair
looking at the door.