Oh
I logged in the night the hospital called
Couldn't sit in that parking lot alone
Your character was still standing by our house
The little cabin on the cliff we built stone by stone
You've been offline 38 days
But the game didn't know you were gone
So I paid both subscriptions Kept the porch light on
I talked to you out loud while I fished in our lake
You never answered but the water still rippled the same
Next week the servers go dark They're
pulling the plug on the only place
you still are I've been farming gold like it matters
Stockpiling roses that never will Trying to
buy us more time in a world that isn't real
But the countdown's ticking in the corner of the
screen Seven days until the sky deletes everything
Including the only version of you That still
says my name when I walk through the door
I married your avatar under the cherry trees Wore
the tux you picked out for a con we never made
Dance the same stupid dance in my wall of hundreds Strangers
threw pixel rice I read vows I never got to say at your grave
The chat scrolled hearts and crying faces
None of them knew they were witnessing a wake
Sometimes I whisper I'm home when I spawn in
Every half a second I forget you can't hear me
Now there's a ban across the login screen
Sunset December 5th thank you for the memories
Memories like this was just a game to everyone
else I'm selling everything I can't carry
Giving away armor we farm together Strangers
keep saying thanks for the legendary gear
They don't know I'll bury you all over again
Took screenshots of every corner we love
The rooftop in the capital where we watched
the fake stars The stupid hot air balloon that only carried
two I saved the replay of you laughing when I
fell off the cliff that first week I
watch them on loop when the world is gone
I'm a photograph
Tonight I'm sitting on our porch one last time
The moon looks exactly like it did the night
you died I keep waiting for the devs to change
their minds For a miracle patch no server saved indefinitely
But the clock hits midnight and the message stays red
Six days,
fourteen hours,
thirty-three minutes until permanent closure
If I reach for your hand that isn't
there Then say the only thing left to say
Wait for me on the next
server I'll find you even if I have to learn a new game
Even if it takes another whole life
Cavendish
creeks behind me went through digital leaves
I type the words in local chat so the
void can't read them when I'm gone
I was never playing to win I was only trying to stay where you still
existed Then I hit logout
Put the porch light on And let the darkness finally
take the last place
You were still breathing