The Weight of Yes

Yes sir

No sir

Understood sir

Noted sir

Of course sir

Subordination feels different

when your seniors

try to sync you with them

Like a dance

perfectly choreographed

Like a room

where everyone has memorised

the same script

No matter what the leader does

just follow the tail

Let doubt sail away

Let your feelings go pale

The mind is caged

yet you expect ideas

to walk out on bail

No

I am breaking this rule

I am not saying

Yes sir

Yes maam

Understood

Noted

No matter where you are

No matter the situation

No matter the urgency

Why follow the rank

Who created this ladder

Why doesnt everyone

deserve equal respect

Why must one

toil like a donkey

while another glides

like a paper aeroplane

I told my friend

Lets do the maths

Lets build something

of our own

Lets make it happen

The booze wore off

another day

And

Yes sir

Understood sir

Noted maam

The words echoed again

inside the confined space

of a building

too tall

to hear the people below

walking through the city

rushing to catch a train

rushing to catch time

His hair slowly turning grey

living

from paycheck

to paycheck

still dreaming

of everything

he could possibly become

if every sentence

didnt have to begin with

Yes sir

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One response to “The Weight of Yes”

  1. Sheknowsallblog Avatar

    The mind is caged, yet you expect ideas to walk out on bail” that’s such a sharp way to describe the absurdity of corporate hierarchy, expecting innovation from people who’ve been trained to only nod. The rebellion in the middle, “Let’s build something of our own,” feels so real and so fleeting, because the poem doesn’t let you pretend it worked. “The booze wore off another day / And / Yes sir” is devastating in its honesty. That return to the script says more about how these systems trap people than any explanation could. Powerful piece

    Liked by 1 person

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