Paralysed

We recruit for the long run, they said
Only the best
A cut above the rest
Those who will stand the test
Of pressure and time
And the bottom line
But they lied
I was cast aside
At the first turn of the tide
Now I’m left paralysed

It made no difference
That I committed body and soul
Met every goal
More than fulfilled my role
They sucked me dry
Then someone cast the die
The memo was sent
And my life was rent
Apart
At the heart
My number was called
Something about the organisation being overhauled
Downsized
Rightsized
(Right for who?)
So they lied
And I am left
Bereft
Paralysed

People are our most important asset, they said
Yet how quick they are to trash it
As soon as they can cash it
And do not tell me the process is fair
When it depends on the square
You land on
The label they brand on
Ladders for up, snakes for down
There’s only one game in town
And it’s built on lies
Someone always dies
Or, like me, is left paralysed

There are other opportunities, they said
But my heart’s no longer in it
They can take it and bin it
I refuse to hobnob
To get a new job
When I’ve only just been robbed
Something has died inside
Maybe it’s pride
But I’m getting wise
To their lies
That have left me paralysed

I guess I’ll have to snap out of it, I say
But I don’t really know how
For now
I can’t see what is to gain
By going through the pain
All over again
I’m just coping
Hoping
That along the way
The sun will shine on a new day
That I’ll see the world through new eyes
That my life will re-energise
And rise
Above the lies
I so despise
That keep me paralysed