I didn’t originally write “Forever Grief” to be a song.

It started as a poem.

Like so much of my writing lately, it came from trying to put something into words that I didn’t really know how to explain any other way. Grief has become such a complicated part of my life. It isn’t something that showed up once, devastated me and then slowly disappeared. Loss has piled on top of loss, and somewhere along the way I started realizing that grief doesn’t necessarily leave.

It changes.

You learn how to carry it. You learn how to function alongside it. You laugh again. You work. You create things. You make plans. You start imagining a future again.

But the grief is still there.

That feeling became “Forever Grief.”

I originally wrote it as a poem, but after reading it back a few times, something about it felt musical to me. I could hear what I wanted it to feel like as a song, even though I had absolutely no idea how to actually make that happen.

There was one slight problem.

I have pretty limited skills when it comes to composing music, and when it comes to singing, I personally think I sound roughly equivalent to nails being dragged across a chalkboard.

So there went my budding career as a vocalist.

But I really wanted to hear these words as a song.

This is one of those places where I’ve found AI genuinely interesting as a creative tool. I already had the writing. The words, emotions and story were mine. What I didn’t have was the ability to compose and perform the music I could imagine surrounding them.

So I decided to experiment.

I adapted my poem into lyrics and used AI to generate the music track and vocals.

I really didn’t know what to expect. This could have gone horribly wrong. I was fully prepared to listen to it once, laugh, close the computer and pretend the experiment never happened.

Except…

It was actually good.

Like, way better than I thought it was going to be.

For the first time, I got to hear words I had written exist outside of my own voice and outside of the page. There was music underneath them. There was a voice giving them emotion. Suddenly this thing that had existed as a poem had become something entirely different.

And hearing it that way hit me harder than I expected.

I want to be completely transparent about how the song was created because I think transparency around AI-generated creative work is important. The original poem and lyrics were written by me. The music track and vocals were generated using AI.

I don’t consider AI the author of “Forever Grief.” I consider it the tool that allowed me to take something I wrote into a medium I don’t personally have the technical skills to create on my own.

That’s one of the things I love about creating in general. An idea doesn’t necessarily have to stay in the form it started in.

A feeling can become words.

Words can become a poem.

A poem can become lyrics.

And apparently, those lyrics can become a song.

“Forever Grief” is now available on Apple Music and Spotify, and you can also purchase it directly through FRDCreations.

But before I share the lyrics, I want to share where it actually began.

The poem.

Because underneath the music and the vocals, underneath the technology that helped me turn it into something I never expected to make, there are still just words I wrote while trying to understand grief.

And those words are mine.

Poem below. Lyrics to follow.

“Forever Grief”

I keep the hallway light on
as if somebody is coming home,
as if death might lose the address
if I pretend I am not alone.

Your pictures gather silence.
Your names get caught behind my teeth.
I am still breathing out of habit,
but breathing is not relief.

They say time will make it smaller,
but time has only taught me how to lie,
how to smile across a table
while another part of me dies.

This is forever grief.

A wound that learned to breathe.
A shadow in my bloodstream.
A ghost beneath my sheets.

I scream until my throat breaks,
but the silence never leaves.

You did not only die once.
You die every day in me.

I still reach to call my mother
when the world becomes too much.

I still listen for my father,
as if the walls might remember
the sound of his voice
and give it back to me.

I still listen for the pawsteps

Of the pup who followed me

But every room is empty now

And emptiness has teeth.

Everyone says I am surviving
as if survival means I am strong.

But I am only dragging this sorrow
through a life where you are gone.

I lost my past.
I lost my home.
I lost the voices
that made me known.

Now every mirror shows someone
I never wanted to become.

If love is why this hurts so much,
then I loved you beyond belief.

But nobody tells you
that love can turn
into a lifelong disease.

Do not tell me it gets better.

Do not tell me to let you go.

I would rather carry the agony
than lose the only proof I have
that you were here,
that I was yours,
that once I had a family
before the world took everything.

Now my heart keeps beating loudly
for those it can no longer reach.

I scream your names into the dark
until the dark screams back at me.

And I keep waking,
even though waking feels like defeat,
living in the after
of everything I need.

I keep the hallway light on,
though no one is coming home.

Some part of me is still waiting.

Some part of me
still does not know.

This is forever.

This is forever grief.

FRD 2026

8/5/26

Lyrics:

Forever Grief

Verse 1
I keep the hallway light on
Like somebody’s coming home
Like death might lose the address
If I pretend I’m not alone

Your pictures gather silence
Your names get caught behind my teeth
I’m still breathing out of habit
But breathing isn’t relief

Pre-Chorus
They say time will make it smaller
But time just taught me how to lie
How to smile across a table
While another part of me dies

Chorus
This is forever grief
A wound that learned to breathe
A shadow in my bloodstream
A ghost beneath my sheets
I scream until my throat breaks
But the silence never leaves
You didn’t only die once
You die every day in me
This is forever
Forever grief

Verse 2
I still reach to call my mother
When the world becomes too much
I still listen for my father
Like the walls remember us

I still look down for the footsteps
Of the girl who followed me
But every room is empty now
And emptiness has teeth

Pre-Chorus
Everyone says I’m surviving
Like survival means I’m strong
But I’m just dragging all this sorrow
Through a life where you are gone

Bridge
I lost my past
I lost my home
I lost the voices that made me known
Now every mirror shows someone
I never wanted to become

If love is why this hurts so much
Then I loved you beyond belief
But nobody tells you love can turn
Into a lifelong disease

So don’t tell me it gets better
Don’t tell me to let you go
I would rather carry agony
Than lose the only proof I know
That you were here
That I was yours
That once I had a family
Before the world took everything
And left forever grief

Final Chorus
This is forever grief
It’s all that’s left of me
A heart still beating loudly
For people it can’t reach
I scream your names into the dark
Until the dark screams back at me
You didn’t only die once
You die in every memory

And I will keep on waking
Though waking feels like defeat
Living in the after
Of everything I need

This is forever
This is forever
This is forever grief

Outro
I keep the hallway light on
Though no one’s coming home
Some part of me is waiting
Some part of me still doesn’t know.

When A Poem Became A Song

Forever Grief