Intro
Denway Street count porches, not addresses
Ms. Odell's chair still creak past midnight
Extension cord run porch to porch like veins
One bulb burning tells you who's alright
Verse 1
Nine years old, I ran the code down Denway block
Two knocks quiet, one light on, that's how the porch talk
Ms. Odell taught me count the switches, not the steps
Said a lit bulb worth more than any promise kept
I'd carry folded notes tucked in my sock's seam
Screen door creaking like it's whispering a dream
Learned the difference 'tween a warning and a wave
Two lights meant get scarce, one light meant you're safe
Denny's mama left her porch dark for a week
Whole block held its breath, nobody dared to speak
I was the one who ran and told her when to hide
Felt the weight of every secret I let slide
Moths circling that bulb like they were keeping watch too
Casting shadows on the stories nobody wanted the truth
Learned the language of a bulb before I learned my letters
Porchlight raised me right when the block taught different measures
Hook
One light on, means somebody's safe
Two lights on, means don't come near
Porch is where we keep the faith
Confessions only porches hear
Verse 2
Grew to seventeen, still reading bulbs like scripture
Denny's older now, running a different picture
Called me one July, said his light been dark three nights
I told myself he's fine, kept walking past that sight
Told myself the code don't apply once you're grown
Found out later that's the lie that made him alone
His mama's porch went dark for good that autumn
Extension cord still hangs there, nobody bought a new one
I carry that like a scar I don't show in daylight
Lear
