diff --git a/wezterm-gui/src/quad.rs b/wezterm-gui/src/quad.rs
index a2fcda29f..9ae18e586 100644
--- a/wezterm-gui/src/quad.rs
+++ b/wezterm-gui/src/quad.rs
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ impl TripleLayerQuadAllocatorTrait for HeapQuadAllocator {
 }
 
 pub enum TripleLayerQuadAllocator<'a> {
-    Gpu(BorrowedLayers<'a>),
+    Gpu(BorrowedLayers),
     Heap(&'a mut HeapQuadAllocator),
 }
 
diff --git a/wezterm-gui/src/renderstate.rs b/wezterm-gui/src/renderstate.rs
index 6569eb5b9..bd5ec2e79 100644
--- a/wezterm-gui/src/renderstate.rs
+++ b/wezterm-gui/src/renderstate.rs
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ use ::window::glium::buffer::{BufferMutSlice, Mapping};
 use ::window::glium::{CapabilitiesSource, IndexBuffer, VertexBuffer};
 use ::window::*;
 use anyhow::Context;
-use std::cell::{RefCell, RefMut};
+use std::cell::{Ref, RefCell, RefMut};
 use std::rc::Rc;
 use wezterm_font::FontConfiguration;
 
@@ -169,6 +169,23 @@ impl RenderLayer {
         }
     }
 
+    pub fn quad_allocator(&self) -> TripleLayerQuadAllocator {
+        // We're creating a self-referential struct here to manage the lifetimes
+        // of these related items.  The transmutes are safe because we're only
+        // transmuting the lifetimes (not the types), and we're keeping hold
+        // of the owner in the returned struct.
+        unsafe {
+            let vbs: Ref<'static, [TripleVertexBuffer; 3]> = std::mem::transmute(self.vb.borrow());
+            let layer0: MappedQuads<'static> = std::mem::transmute(vbs[0].map());
+            let layer1: MappedQuads<'static> = std::mem::transmute(vbs[1].map());
+            let layer2: MappedQuads<'static> = std::mem::transmute(vbs[2].map());
+            TripleLayerQuadAllocator::Gpu(BorrowedLayers {
+                layers: [layer0, layer1, layer2],
+                _owner: vbs,
+            })
+        }
+    }
+
     pub fn need_more_quads(&self, vb_idx: usize) -> Option<usize> {
         self.vb.borrow()[vb_idx].need_more_quads()
     }
@@ -231,15 +248,20 @@ impl RenderLayer {
     }
 }
 
-pub struct BorrowedLayers<'a>(pub [MappedQuads<'a>; 3]);
+pub struct BorrowedLayers {
+    pub layers: [MappedQuads<'static>; 3],
 
-impl<'a> TripleLayerQuadAllocatorTrait for BorrowedLayers<'a> {
+    // layers references _owner, so it must be dropped after layers.
+    _owner: Ref<'static, [TripleVertexBuffer; 3]>,
+}
+
+impl TripleLayerQuadAllocatorTrait for BorrowedLayers {
     fn allocate(&mut self, layer_num: usize) -> anyhow::Result<QuadImpl> {
-        self.0[layer_num].allocate()
+        self.layers[layer_num].allocate()
     }
 
     fn extend_with(&mut self, layer_num: usize, vertices: &[Vertex]) {
-        self.0[layer_num].extend_with(vertices)
+        self.layers[layer_num].extend_with(vertices)
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/wezterm-gui/src/termwindow/box_model.rs b/wezterm-gui/src/termwindow/box_model.rs
index bdf434df3..530b8147a 100644
--- a/wezterm-gui/src/termwindow/box_model.rs
+++ b/wezterm-gui/src/termwindow/box_model.rs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ use crate::customglyph::{BlockKey, Poly};
 use crate::glyphcache::CachedGlyph;
 use crate::quad::{QuadImpl, QuadTrait, TripleLayerQuadAllocator, TripleLayerQuadAllocatorTrait};
 use crate::termwindow::{
-    BorrowedLayers, ColorEase, MouseCapture, RenderState, TermWindowNotif, UIItem, UIItemType,
+    ColorEase, MouseCapture, RenderState, TermWindowNotif, UIItem, UIItemType,
 };
 use crate::utilsprites::RenderMetrics;
 use ::window::{RectF, WindowOps};
@@ -813,10 +813,7 @@ impl super::TermWindow {
         inherited_colors: Option<&ElementColors>,
     ) -> anyhow::Result<()> {
         let layer = gl_state.layer_for_zindex(element.zindex)?;
-        let vbs = layer.vb.borrow();
-        let vb = [&vbs[0], &vbs[1], &vbs[2]];
-        let mut layers =
-            TripleLayerQuadAllocator::Gpu(BorrowedLayers([vb[0].map(), vb[1].map(), vb[2].map()]));
+        let mut layers = layer.quad_allocator();
 
         let colors = match &element.hover_colors {
             Some(hc) => {
diff --git a/wezterm-gui/src/termwindow/render.rs b/wezterm-gui/src/termwindow/render.rs
index 84d05971e..d72ceaa4f 100644
--- a/wezterm-gui/src/termwindow/render.rs
+++ b/wezterm-gui/src/termwindow/render.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@ use crate::quad::{
     HeapQuadAllocator, QuadAllocator, QuadImpl, QuadTrait, TripleLayerQuadAllocator,
     TripleLayerQuadAllocatorTrait,
 };
-use crate::renderstate::BorrowedLayers;
 use crate::selection::SelectionRange;
 use crate::shapecache::*;
 use crate::tabbar::{TabBarItem, TabEntry};
@@ -2135,10 +2134,7 @@ impl super::TermWindow {
         let start = Instant::now();
         let gl_state = self.render_state.as_ref().unwrap();
         let layer = gl_state.layer_for_zindex(0)?;
-        let vbs = layer.vb.borrow();
-        let vb = [&vbs[0], &vbs[1], &vbs[2]];
-        let mut layers =
-            TripleLayerQuadAllocator::Gpu(BorrowedLayers([vb[0].map(), vb[1].map(), vb[2].map()]));
+        let mut layers = layer.quad_allocator();
         log::trace!("quad map elapsed {:?}", start.elapsed());
         metrics::histogram!("quad.map", start.elapsed());