The Lamp Lighter

The Lamp Lighter

You bragged you weren’t a fighter, a lover not a fighter

As we sat on the corner of James and High.

You bit your cigarette and took out your lighter,

Watching a pair of lovers fight nearby.

As we sat on the damp corner of James and High,

I thought I’m not a lover, oh god I’m just a writer,

Watching a pair of lovers push and grope nearby,

And your cigarette ablaze, a conversation starter.

 

I thought I’m not a lover, oh god I’m just a writer,

While the street lamps lit up and multiplied,

And your cigarette ablaze, a conversation starter,

Blew a cloud of blue smoke into a starless sky.

 

While the street lamps lit up and multiplied,

You recognized the lovers, the tease and the man beside her,

Blew a cloud of your haze into a starless sky,

And then looked away from their lips wet with ardor.

 

You recognized the lovers, the tease and the man beside her.

I watched you silently as you flicked your lighter.

When you looked away from their lips wet with ardor,

You said you are a lover, but I think you’re just a liar.