War of Process

First came the complaint in its careful little tone Then the sealed reminder that you do not stand alone Then the policy came down like it had always known How to turn a passing conflict into something carved in stone The Vessel sits between them while the folders breed and spread Every line you ever typed comes back barcoded red Someone says “procedure,” someone says “concern” Someone builds a paper fire and waits to watch it burn Logged in Marked up Every loose remark pulled up Filed down Cross-read Watch the wording earn the blade War of Process Stamped and signed and sealed The right side gets the language The system gets the yield One form costs your footing One clause can close the room First they fought The Vessel Now the paperwork fights you There’s a meeting in a side room and a chair set back too far Someone from compliance asking who you think you are Someone says “perception,” someone says “disrepute” Someone turns a living mess into an executable route Offline friends go careful, work goes cold around your name Doors don’t always slam; they just stop opening the same You can hear the soft withdrawals dressed up as being fair A record starts to follow you and waits for you elsewhere Read back Held still Every answer bent to fit the bill Wrong phrase Wrong day Now the file has learned your shape War of Process Stamped and signed and sealed The right side gets the language The system gets the yield One form costs your footing One clause can close the room First they fought The Vessel Now the paperwork fights you No one says they hate you That would be too plain They say they have a duty To reduce the brand’s exposure to your name No blood on the carpet No broken lock or jaw Just your life translated slowly Into policy and flaw War of Process Stamped and signed and sealed The right side gets the language The system gets the yield One form costs your footing One clause can close the room First they fought The Vessel Now the paperwork fights you War of Process Clean hands, tidy wound First they named The danger Then they taught the file to prove it too