The porch light flickers against the evening chill A shadow stretches out across the sill He waits for the rattle of the garden gate Before I even turn the key, he seals his fate Twelve years of dust upon the pine floorboards We speak in glances, ignoring the words He knows the weight of every heavy sigh Keeps a tally of the ghosts that pass me by A muddy paw print on a weathered boot Tracing the path where we took root Oh, two hearts tethered by a frayed old string He finds the grace in the songs failing to sing No need for maps where we both roam Just the pull of his tail leading me home Yeah, the world grows tired and the sky turns gray But he's the anchor in the salt and spray He tracked the scent of autumn through the pines We read the forest like a map of jagged lines He doesn't ask for reasons or for why He just watches the clouds drift heavy in the sky When the winter wind bites through the coat I wear He's the steady heat beneath the silver air And they say it's just a creature, just a breath A fleeting spark before a quiet death But they haven't seen him leaning on my knee When the midnight silence brings the dark to me He doesn't need to speak to understand The tremor running through my calloused hand Oh, two hearts tethered by a frayed old string He finds the grace in the songs failing to sing No need for maps where we both roam Just the pull of his tail leading me home Yeah, the world grows tired and the sky turns gray But he's the anchor in the salt and spray The fire dies low, the embers softly glow He curls in the space I've learned to know Just a low hum, a rhythmic, steady rest Head resting heavy on my weary chest Old friend, sleep now Sleep now.