All she can say

He had an air of intellectual superiority, a charm irresistible

To which she was drawn in a manner inexplicable

Once she was in a relationship with him they appeared

To be one and the same, you would never hear

Either one of them saying what the other did not endorse

People admired their relationship, but were unaware of course

That he controlled the narrative completely

To say what she wanted, she was not free

She who used to express her ideas without hesitation

Now spoke a scripted language, there was complete abnegation

Of her thoughts, although she gave the impression

That the ideas were her own, so convincing was her expression

*

As a young professional she joined a company

With an excellent reputation, her boss was thought to be

A prominent leader in the industry, she thought she could grow

Under his mentorship, but little did she know

That all the great things she had heard about this place

Came from a warped narrative of hyperbolic praise

Generated by her boss, anything that deviated from this narrative

Was basically impermissible, she had to speak in the superlative

When talking about her company, she had no right

To bring up any issue that showed the organization in a poor light

She felt trapped, but knew if she resigned

Shunned by other employers she could herself find

*

In a society with freedom of expression we live

Yet there are many who try to control the narrative

When they hold power over you, each word you say

Has to support their narrative in some way

The world is oblivious, you suffer inside

This becomes a shameful secret to hide

It is not easy to break free when you’ve lost your voice

You need to rediscover it to make the right choice…