Don’t kill me before I die
Don’t carve your absence into me
And call it love
I’ve already lost enough
Names I used to answer to
Rooms I used to stand in
Versions of myself
That didn’t know how to run
I’m still trying to live
In the body I was given
In the story I’m still writing
With hands that shake
But won’t let go
If you see me fading
Don’t push
If you see me breaking
Don’t press harder
If you see me quiet
Don’t mistake it for surrender
I’m gathering myself
I’m stitching back the parts
That life tried to scatter
I’m learning how to breathe
Without asking permission
So don’t kill me before I die
Don’t take the last light
I’m fighting to keep
Let me walk to my own ending
On my own feet
In my own time
With my own name still burning