[STRICTLY SPOKEN WORD — VERY SLOW natural speech — NO singing — NO rhythmic delivery — long pauses between thoughts — leave silence between lines] [SPOKEN SLOWLY — quiet — pause after sentence] Some people don't stay forever. [LONG PAUSE] [SPOKEN SLOWLY — soft] But they leave marks that do. [LONG PAUSE — breathe] [SPOKEN — reflective — unhurried] I used to think forever was a promise. [PAUSE] [SPOKEN — trailing off] Turns out... [LONG SILENCE] [SPOKEN SLOWLY — remembering] Sometimes it's just a crooked heart... [PAUSE] carved into a maple tree. [LONG PAUSE] [SPOKEN — soft — plenty of space] A porch light... [PAUSE] that's no longer waiting for you. [LONG PAUSE — breathe] [SPOKEN — warm, melancholy] A house that taught you... [PAUSE] what home felt like... [LONG PAUSE] Just long enough... [PAUSE] to miss it for the rest of your life. [LONG SILENCE] [SPOKEN — reflective — very slow] But you carry pieces... [PAUSE] of who you were... [PAUSE] when they were your world. [LONG SILENCE — breathe] [SPOKEN — quiet acceptance] Some people don't stay forever... [LONG PAUSE] but they're carved into your forever. [LONG SILENCE] [SPOKEN — intimate — say the name softly] ELLA... [LONG PAUSE] [SPOKEN — personal, like reading directly to her] you may be gone now... [PAUSE] but you're... [PAUSE] CARVED INTO MY FOREVER. [LONG SILENCE — let the words settle] [SPOKEN — warm, grateful — very slow] And for that... [PAUSE] I'm forever grateful. [LONG SILENCE] [SPOKEN — barely above a murmur — simple, sincere] Love... [PAUSE] Becks. [VOICE ENDS — several seconds of silence before quiet clean guitar and warm atmospheric ambience linger and gently resolve]
