Tattered shirt

A bruised right hand

Excessive thinking

Lacks a plan

He looks back twice

He bites the lure

His leg swings up

A drastic cure

They sold some rules

They promised wealth

Paralysis

No one else helps

Elicit sense

60 percent

Contaminate

Replenishments

They urge him to

Reject his sight

Don't mention it

Don't speak your mind

It comforts him

Thinking he's right

Ignoring fear

He's masked as pride

They fracture truth

They pick and choose

They always win

We always lose

He'll eat it up

Attention seeking

No gut left

But they'll keep asking

What's your value

What's your worth

There they go running their mouth about preying on people like

Decency's become a curse

Where's your empire

Where's your thirst

Once again kicking down everyone's pedestals and then

Pretending they're not any worse

How's your story

Unrehearsed

Modify records

And band-aid the cracks

Make their so-called

Brilliance date back to birth

What's your value

What's your worth

Whining about all the outrage they claw to exploit

Disregarding that they spilled it first

And he'll just double down somehow

And they've forgiven him for now

As long as paper's spread around

As long as braver dread is drowned

Implicit threats wrapped in their worry

Coerce or care the line gets blurry

Weave subtle debts in every story

There's something they aren't telling him

It's covered up laid deep within

He begs and begs to be let in

But they need more of him to bend

All that he's earned he gives away

Bows at their feet most every day

He parts with limb spine heart and grace

And all the rest but they'll keep asking

What's your value

What's your drive

He's spent so much time and his effort defending their dribble

It's ruptured his spirit and mind

Where's your empire

Where's your fight

and when they betray him he lowers his standards while raising

Their image and brainwashing high

How's your story

How's your life

Attend every meeting convention and conference in hopes that they'll

Call out his name in surprise

What's your value

What's your lie

Lustful for no independence and total allegiance

Their horror is his only prize

They don't get to pick our poison

They don't get to skirt their law

They've no right to pilfer strangers

Caught inside their mangled claw

They don't get to dull our voices

Watered down reduced to slop

Infiltrating made up drama

Orchestrate then force a draw

They don't get to wash their hands off

Dissipate remaining flaw

They cant reason past assumption

Must be rabid monkey's paw

They wont stand a slight disruption

Interference final straw

Act then undo

Search don't rescue

Raise a tissue

Place their statue

They do not decide our value

They do not decide our value