The first light creeps in like a thief through the blinds Stealing the darkness where I left you behind The night was a shelter, a place I could hide But dawn brings the truth that the shadows can't bide I lie in the quiet, the sheets still hold your shape A outline in cotton that time can't escape The birds start their calling, indifferent and clear A soundtrack to mornings I no longer share After the dawn Soft lies in the light that exposes the room Hard goodbyes in the silence that follows too soon After the dawn Everything looks different in the day The warmth from the night slowly slips away The coffee brews bitter, the cup feels too wide I drink it in silence, no one by my side The mirror reflects what the darkness concealed A man who's still healing from wounds that won't heal I open the window, let the morning come in The air smells of starting, of trying again But the starting feels heavy, the trying feels fake A routine that's empty for both our sake After the dawn Soft lies in the light that exposes the room Hard goodbyes in the silence that follows too soon After the dawn Everything looks different in the day The warmth from the night slowly slips away The day will demand me, pull me into its flow Work, words, and people who don't need to know I'll smile when required, speak when I must Carrying the weight of a heart turned to dust But when the Sun sets and the darkness returns The cycle begins where the memory burns Tomorrow's dawn waiting to strip it away Leaving me ready for another day