The Spiral (extended version)

So I stood in the ashes and opened the blinds
And the sun hit my face like a friend who reminds
That love never ends, it just changes shape
And I'm still here and I'm still awake

I walk with the ache, but I walk in the light
My memory's gold, my future bright
The past won't shame me, I've earned my flame
I carry his love, but I live my aim

We rise, we mend, we bloom again
We build from tears, we call it when
The soul's been kissed, then torn apart
But music grows in every heart

So here's to love, and here's to pain
To loss, to hope, to dancing in rain
We write our endings, fierce and true
With glittered scars and skies of blue

We live out loud, we say our names
We hold our joy, we light our flames
Through every grief, we find our grace
And in that grace, we find our place

You were my chapter, not my end
Now I begin again, my friend
The mirror shows someone I barely knew
A man who's broken, but breaking through

I kissed your photo, then kissed the sky
I whispered your name, then let out a cry
I cleaned the closet, found your old scarf
Laughed through the tears, remembered your laugh

I wore your shirt, it still fits fine
It held my heart like it once held mine
Like it once held mine
We rise from sorrow, we rise with grace

With your voice in our bones, and your light on our face
The seasons turned, but love stayed near
You're not gone, you're just not here
So here's to love, and here's to pain

To loss, to hope, to dancing in rain
We write our endings, fierce and true
With glittered scars and skies of blue
We live out loud, we say our names

We hold our joy, we light our flames
Through every grief, we find our grace
And in that grace, we find our place
You were my chapter, not my end

Now I begin again, my friend