Vanishing at the Fountain
(hummmm) The stone-cold fountain
spills its water slow
By Congress Avenue,
where the headlights go
An empty plastic toy
on the concrete rim
A dinosaur forgotten
as the light grows dim
And the shadow of the one
who stood right there
Has vanished like a ghost
in the humid air Oh,
the frontier holds its
secrets tight
Left behind in the fading light
(ahhhh) A toy of clay,
a vanished name
While the river whispers just
the same
I count the steps along
the street-corner stone
Where the traveler stood
and then left alone
Just a plastic green spine
in the trickling spray
While the Austin breeze
blows the dust away
Who witnessed the drift?
Who carries the key?
To the silent shape
that we used to see?
Oh, the frontier holds its
secrets tight
Left behind in the fading light (ahhhh) A toy of clay,
a vanished name
While the river whispers just
the same (hummmm)