Poem – “A Good Boss Would’ve Paid Me”

A good boss would’ve paid me.

A good boss would’ve seen—

The hours, the heart, the hunger,

The fire behind the screen.

A good boss would’ve shown up.

Not late, not lost, not blind.

Would’ve fed the work that feeds the world,

Not just drained what’s left behind.

A good boss would’ve paid me.

A good boss would’ve paid me.

A good boss would’ve paid me

so I could breathe,

so I could eat,

so I could buy my time back

from the debt that drags my feet.

I do the work like a leader.

I speak like I’ve seen the storm.

I carry the broken systems

and still keep people warm.

My friends — they feed me dinner.

They don’t wear ties or suits.

But they know what care looks like

from the roots.

There are no good bosses in Holland.

None in Brussels, none in Rome.

If there were, I’d be standing

On pay, not just a poem.

So I build my own damn kingdom.

In my own damn time and truth.

Be your own damn boss,

In your own damn booth.

‘Cause a good boss would’ve paid me.

A good boss would’ve stayed.

A good boss would’ve known —

Respect is how it’s paid.