I was not called by a god or flame No vow was carved upon my name I learned the cost in shattered breath In counting seconds stolen from death Hands red with borrowed time I kneel where prayers have failed to climb No crown, no sword, no chosen sign Only the work, the line, the breath of life They fall like seasons, one by one I remain when the battle’s done I carry the weight of staying alive When the brave fall through the divide I mend what the war would claim I bind the wound, I take the blame No glory waits, no song is sung For hands that shake but never run I stand between the dark and breath I am the pause before the death I know the sound a soul makes When it loosens, when it breaks I know the eyes that look away When hope costs more than they can pay I stitch the silence back to skin Teach the heart how to begin again Every life I drag from loss Leaves a scar I also carry across They rise, they march, they burn, they bleed I stay behind with what they leave I carry the weight of staying alive When the brave fall through the divide I mend what the war would claim I bind the wound, I take the blame No glory waits, no song is sung For hands that shake but never run I stand between the dark and breath I am the pause before the death If mercy is a sin, Then let it mark my hands If survival is the crime, I will stand and be condemned I have traded years for minutes more Held the line on a blood-slick floor I have watched the light return And paid the price in what I’ve learned Do not ask me if it’s fair Do not ask if I still care I am here because someone must Remain when faith has turned to dust I carry the weight of staying alive When the brave fall through the divide I mend what the war would claim I bind the wound, I take the blame No glory waits, no song is sung For hands that shake but never run I stand between the dark and breath I am the pause before the death I am the pause Before the death
