Phaeton gleaming black as coal, harness tight, horses keen, Top hat tilted, cape unfurled, I cut the fog like guillotine. Gas lamps cast their golden pools upon the cobbled way, The ton asleep, the streets my own till a rumble breaks the play. A growl from iron lungs, not beast but machine most strange, Silver beast with angles sharp, no curves, no grace, no change. It rolls beside me, silent first, then roars with electric fire, The driver grins through tinted glass his eyes a spark of wild desire..... Midnight DUEL on streets of STONE (Stone!) Phaeton against the SILVER—(Vision!) Engines GROWL, hooves THUNDER on (On!) Who claims the night when race is WON? (Won!) No quarter given—(Given!) Rev it up, the gauntlet thrown (Thrown!) Phaeton pride against the—(Unknown!) I turn my head, the silver brute reflects the lamp’s pale gleam, No horses, no reins, just silent power, a devil’s waking dream. The man within, wild-eyed, bold, leans out with mocking grin, The one who sent the meme coin soaring, where the stars begin. His gaze is lightning, voice a spark that cuts the fog in two, He rules the platform of discourse, where the endless voices brew. Electric beasts he breeds that command the roads afar, Yet here he challenges me now, beneath the streetlamp’s star. Midnight DUEL on streets of STONE (Stone!) Phaeton against the SILVER—(Vision!) Engines GROWL, hooves THUNDER on (On!) Who claims the night when race is WON? (Won!) No quarter given—(Given!) Rev it up, the gauntlet thrown (Thrown!) Phaeton pride against the—(Unknown!) We thunder past the silent squares, watchmen scatter in the gloom, My phaeton carves the narrow lane, wheels screaming on the stone. Iron shoes bite sparks from cobbles, horses foam and strain, His silver beast surges closer, electric thunder in its veins. No wager spoken, no prize declared, just pride and death's own call, The night belongs to he who dares to risk it all. He revs once more, a guttural taunt, LED eyes flash cold and bright, I crack the whip, the team explodes, hooves pound the endless night. Alleys close like jaws around us, walls blur in haze of flame, One wrong turn and we collide, two eras locked in savage game. The silver brute lunges, tires howl, torque rips the fog apart, My phaeton dances, reins like lightning, victory tearing at my heart. City streets scar with our fury, gas lamps shudder in the wake, Phaeton against the silver demon who claims the night we both might break? The lamps burn on as we vanish into fog and flame… Richmond rides eternal. The challenge answered. The night… undecided.
