After the Fire

(Verse 1) There's a silence after fire That I don't recognize No more noise to hold me together No more need to disguise Everything I thought I needed Is scattered in the dust And I'm standing in the open— Wondering if I can trust (Pre-Chorus) This quiet This space This unfamiliar kind of grace (Chorus) After the fire After the fall After the breaking Of everything I called Myself, my truth, my safety, my name— There's something still here And it's not the same (Verse 2) I can feel it in my breathing Slower than before Like I don't have to brace myself For something at the door There's a softness in the stillness But I don't fully believe That something this unguarded Could be safe for me to feel (Pre-Chorus) Is this healing? Or the calm Before something else goes wrong? (Chorus) After the fire After the pain After the collapse Of everything I contained Every illusion, every defense— There's something still here And it makes no sense (Bridge — fragile hope emerging) I don't need to understand it I don't need to force it whole There's a quiet kind of knowing Starting in my soul Not loud Not bright Just enough to feel like light (Final Chorus — soft, expansive, real) After the fire After the end After the loss Of who I had been There's something still breathing Something still alive— (soft lift) And for the first time… I don't need to hide (Outro — almost whispered) Stay here… Stay…