(soft piano, distant wind chimes)

I never learned to stay

But I tried a million ways

I drift through conversations

Like smoke through empty halls

You smile like I'm listening

But I'm behind these walls

You speak with such certainty

Like you've solved the mystery

But whispers cut deeper

When they carry history

I'm not trying to be vacant

I just feel so displaced here

I'm gentle like lightning

You see me, then frightened

Wonder if I'm truly here

Or just dreams that are brightening

I'm ice in the desert

A friend, not a burden

Don't chase what I'm hiding

It melts when you're certain

I stored all the broken glass

In pockets of my mind

You touched only what was safe

Left the sharp parts behind

You speak like I'm fragile

Like courage is a crime

But some scars tell stories

That heal in their own time

I'm not lost without reason

Some paths just need seasons

I'm gentle like lightning

You see me, then frightened

Wonder if I'm truly here

Or just dreams that are brightening

I'm ice in the desert

A soul with no jury

Don't write me a letter

I fade when you worry

You asked, "Why won't you call me?"

But I did—through the silence

In the way that I linger

In my quiet defiance

You said, "We could have helped you"

But help has many faces

Now I'm just a memory

In familiar places

I'm gentle like lightning

You see me, then frightened

Wonder if I'm truly here

Or just dreams that are brightening

I'm ice in the desert

A heart with no teacher

Don't hold onto my patterns

They're mine—I'm the preacher

(fading voice over soft strings)

If you think of me again

Know that I was grateful

Not every departure

Has to feel so hateful