[Verse 1] I bought the blue bowl at the corner shop The day you called from the hospital lot You said, “Keep it, I’ll be home by June” Now it holds spare keys and a bent teaspoon The chipped white mug from our rented place Still has your thumbprint under the glaze I tell myself I’m clearing a shelf Then find one more little piece of myself [Pre-Chorus] A box is easy to close A memory won’t stay put I can give away the thing But I can’t give away that afternoon [Chorus] I want less, I want room to breathe One coat, one cup, a quiet key But every object keeps a day alive And I can’t throw out the proof we tried I want less, I mean it when I say Still I turn that old jar away From the donation bag, back to the drawer I want a little less—and miss you more [Verse 2] Your recipe card, all butter and ink The grocery list with “pears” in your slant A ticket stub from the county fair Two paper crowns folded flat in there The lamp we fixed with a butter knife The green thread spool from your sewing kit I hold each one up, ask what it’s worth Then hear your laugh from the first-floor kitchen [Pre-Chorus] A box is easy to close A memory won’t stay put I can give away the thing But I can’t give away that afternoon [Chorus] I want less, I want room to breathe One coat, one cup, a quiet key But every object keeps a day alive And I can’t throw out the proof we tried I want less, I mean it when I say Still I turn that old jar away From the donation bag, back to the drawer I want a little less—and miss you more [Breakdown] Take the cracked plate, keep the Sunday light Take the old coat, keep the walk back at night Take the paper crown, keep your crooked grin Take the whole damn box—where do I begin? [Verse 3] Today I gave the lamp to Mara upstairs She said it warmed up the corner just right I kept one photo, not the whole stack And left the empty frame on the shelf out back Maybe a home can hold what it needs Maybe a heart can loosen its grip I’m learning the difference, one small thing At a time, with your name on my lips [Final Chorus] I want less, I want room to breathe One coat, one cup, a quiet key I’ll keep the bowl, let the rest move on A memory’s mine when the object is gone I want less, and I’m finding a way To honor the love without making it stay Some things can leave; some stories endure I want a little less—and love you more [Outro] One blue bowl by the kitchen sink Enough to remember, enough to let go
