Wherever You Are

(A Tribute to Sam Cortland)

You told me to run, swore together we’d be free,

But I was too blind to see what they’d done to me.

I trusted shadows, believed in the lie,

Now I’m left screaming to an empty sky.

You should’ve lived, you should’ve stayed,

If I had known, I would’ve made them pay.

Was it my pride that signed your fate?

Now all that’s left is this hollow grave.

Would you have lived without me there?

Would you have found someone to take you bare?

I wear the guilt like a second skin,

Carving your name on the walls within.

Wherever you are, can you still see me?

The girl you loved is breaking free.

I’ll carry the fire, I’ll carry the pain,

I’ll turn it all into strength.

And when the dark feels cold and far—

I’ll reach for you, wherever you are.

They thought they could shatter what we had built,

Left me in chains, drowning in guilt.

But I rose with the sparks in my lungs,

Every tear was a weapon, every breath was a song.

I hunted them down with steel and flame,

Vengeance was mercy with your name.

But even justice couldn’t make it right—

I’d trade it all for one more night.

Wherever you are, can you still see me?

The girl you loved is breaking free.

I’ll carry the fire, I’ll carry the pain,

I’ll turn it all into strength.

And when the dark feels cold and far—

I’ll reach for you, wherever you are.

Now I stand on the edge of a throne,

Blood on my hands, but I’m not alone.

You made me more than what they planned,

A queen rising from shifting land.

I’ll smile again, I’ll learn to breathe,

I’ll love, because you'd want that for me.

But in my soul, there’s a place for you—

A light I keep when I can’t break through.

Wherever you are, I hope you know,

You were the spark that helped me grow.

Through every war, through every scar,

You are my compass, my northern star.

I’ll live for us, no matter how far—

You’re in my heart, wherever you are.

And when things are darkest…

I will tuck you into my heart—

A bright light

For me to take out

Wherever you are.