Corporate.

It's funny

how bold your mouth gets

when my back is turned.

Like venom only flows

when the coast is clear.

You talk like you’ve got daggers for teeth,

but somehow they melt

into mush

the moment I step in the room.

Oh, you're loud
when it’s safe.
When it’s whispers in corners,
texts you’d never send to my face,
echoes behind doors
you think I don’t open.

But now
here I am.
No smoke,
no mirrors.
Just me.
And look at you.
Can’t meet my eye
like it owes you rent.
Staring holes in the floor
like you might find a backbone under the tiles.

Say it.
Go on.
Say it with your chest.
You had so much volume
when I couldn’t hear you.
Now it’s pin-drop silence
and I’m the earthquake.

You wear arrogance
like it’s armor.
Like fake pride
can shield you from truth.
But if you’re so above me,
why do you look so small
when we stand on the same ground?

See, it’s easy to spit
when there’s no one to swallow your words.
But I’m here now,
mouth open,
palms up
ready for every syllable
you choked on
the second I showed up.

Call it courage
if you want.
But I call it comedy,
the way your spine folds
like paper
when you're pressed.

You don’t have to like me.
Hell, you can loathe me.
But do it honestly.
Don’t be brave in the shadows
and broken in the light.
Don't talk war
then bow when the drums hit.

If you're gonna hate,
then hate like you mean it.
Eye to eye.
Name on your tongue.
Or not at all.