I heard the warning in the dark, Before the fire knew my name. You spoke as though the road were written, As though the ending stayed the same. But I am not a page you carry. I am not a tale you already know. If there is danger in the choosing, Then let me choose the road I go. You tell me he will leave me waiting, You tell me promises will break. You speak of wounds before they're opened, Of every loss I might yet make. But what is love if fear must name it? What is a life if none is mine? Must I abandon what I cherish Because you claim you've seen the sign? Turn away. Turn away. The gate is open. Turn away. No. I know the stories men have written. I know the warnings women hear. Be careful here. Be silent there. Don't cross the line. Don't venture near. But I have stood beneath the heavens And felt the world beneath my feet. I will not live as someone else's unfinished prophecy. This is the choice I make, This is the name I call. Let the ancient voices thunder, Let the old foundations fall. I will not borrow someone else's fear to build my life. If I must learn what love will cost me, I will pay the price. You will pay the price. Then let it be mine. Adam, if you take my hand, Take it knowing I am free. Do not promise me forever if forever cannot be. I will not be your hidden shadow. I will not live behind your eyes. If you love me, love the woman who can question your replies. Come with me. I am coming. But I come because I choose. Before the flame, Before the witness, Before the names become one sound— She chooses. She chooses. Not because the path is certain. Not because the ending's known. But because a life unchosen is a life I do not own. This is the choice I make— The choice she makes— This is the road I take— The road she takes— Let the heavens judge my footsteps— Let the ancient darkness wait— If the story calls me foolish— Let the story call her brave— She will walk beneath the burning sky, She will answer to her name. She will love, and she will lose, And she will never live ashamed. Elias... I heard you. I simply chose.
