Avalanche Patrol

We've got a long way to go
Before we finish our patrol
Light burns off in the distance
No one dares make a sound
Scared we might wake the snow
Sleeping giants love to listen
And tethered together by lines of gold
Two of my brothers on patrol
Our breathing keeps us in rhythm
Well honey I know it's getting cold
Eye on the wool cape you have wove
I can smell your lavender and lipstick
You would never, ask me when I'm coming home
You know better, than to wait and watch the snow
While the other wives and mothers pray and count their rosaries
Not my lover, her lipstick lavender keeps her close to me
One, Two
One, Two, Three, Four
Hold me close as the hour escapes
Sunlight running on the mountain's ravenous face
The moon came too soon and it'll stay out too late
And I can feel that goddamn bell before they ring it
Gold heats in your hair promptly at 4 p.m.
Then cool to amber as the sun sets again
The light through the blinds paints patterns on skin
Your head dovetails so nicely on my chest where you laid it
When I'm out in the shop, faced to the forge
I think of you, my love, as I tend to the coals
Smiths with flames high in their eyes are all for show
Dreaming, lying to themselves that they've bridled Hades
A fire's that's good take patience, control
Even bellow breathing this work is painfully slow
But you must hold on because you'll taste the reward
When that white iron draws out, just like it was painted
I know you know this, but I tell you this time
Because I need to say it out loud to feel right
You listen to me whisper it, my lips graze you ear with every line
And you memorize every word, just as I say it
Press into me, leave marks in my side
And I promise to pull you in until my knuckles go white
You're breathing with me now as the sun slips behind the mountain ridge to the west
And the day is finished