Front Row at the End

White lilies by the photograph
I stood because I loved you

They saved the first row for the ones
Who did not want the day to come
I sat with your coat across my knees
As if warmth could still belong to someone
The program shook inside my hands
Your picture smiled in Sunday blue
A hymn began behind my shoulder
And every note looked back at you

Every story stood up around me
Every memory took its place
I wanted one more ordinary morning
Not this ribbon, not this vase

Front row at the end
This is where goodbye begins
Letting go is not betrayal
It's the last way love attends
Front row at the end

I stood because I loved you (loved you)
Goodbye is love standing still (standing still)

When my turn came the room went quiet
And I forgot the speech I wrote
I said you burned the toast on purpose
To make the morning slow
I said you drove all night through freezing rain
With soup and jumper cables for a friend
You never loved the spotlight
But you held light for everyone

The room kept handing me your pieces
One brave story at a time
I didn't know a heart could break
And still be asked to stand in line

Front row at the end
This is where goodbye begins
Letting go is not betrayal
It's the last way love attends
Front row at the end

I thought release would mean forgetting
Thought goodbye would make you gone
But love is every chair we straighten
When we know you won't come home

Front row at the end
I stand up while the flowers bend
Letting go is not betrayal
It's the last way love attends
Front row at the end
I stood because I loved you

I folded the program once, then twice
And held your name all afternoon