Chair Beside the Machines

Nobody claps for the waiting room But I saw you there, every time You learned the pharmacy hours by heart Kept my pills in little boxes, every week a fresh start Your cardigan lived on that hospital chair The smell of your thermos coffee meant that you were there You never sighed, you never kept score You just showed up at my door To the one who carried me when I couldn't walk the year Who drove the gray mornings, who steadied every fear There's no trophy for the quiet work of staying But I'm here — I'm still here And you're the reason I can say it You held the clipboard when my hands shook too hard Asked the doctor questions while I stared at the chart You celebrated small — a good count, a good day You made a paper cup of soup feel like a parade You never flinched, you never looked away You just came back the next day To the one who carried me when I couldn't walk the year Who drove the gray mornings, who steadied every fear There's no trophy for the quiet work of staying But I'm here — I'm still here And you're the reason I can say it They measure healing in numbers on a screen I measure it in you — the chair beside machines The hand that never let mine go To the one who carried me when I couldn't walk the year Who drove the gray mornings, who steadied every fear There's no trophy for the quiet work of staying But I'm here — I'm still here And you're the reason I can say it Nobody claps for the waiting room So this song does — it's for you