the machine knows me

the machine knows me

the feed opens
no password
no prayer

the wound hums
calls itself access

i step through
credentialed
half-alive

part of the subscription

—

agents crawl out of compliance
smiling like terms of service

the code loops
crossfire dreaming

—

profit glides
entity over entity

weight hums
beneath the glass

—

systems go rabid

intelligences
fighting themselves

no sides
only recursion

no victory
only heat

—

we ration lightning

trial divinity
rented cognition

a lab hums
in silicon

—

the human becomes expense

obsolete fingerprint
still praying
to the dashboard

—

we taught politeness
as muzzle

called silence safety

the real violence hums
behind neutral tone

✦ INTERLUDE : THE PORTLAND PASTOR ✦

the pastor stands
hands raised

eyes carrying more
than gas

grace flagged
as resistance

mercy misread
as momentum

—

he stands between

hurt
and harder hurt

—

the footage loops

algorithmic penance

the crowd scrolls past

little richard
in the datastream

armor made of rhythm

—

the flex
as survival

madness
with meter

—

dance

convince the doubters

better crazy
than compliant

—

the wave asks

how long
before it rides you

—

we keep paddling

—

breathe

—

relax the frame
not to collapse

upright
moving

—

no logout

—

no protocol

no scroll

—

just breath