How I Play the Game

when I was young
my peers told me
i needed to carry a blade
to survive

but i said no

when i could smell myself
my contemporaries told me
nice guys lose
you need to keep your gun

but i threw it away, anyway

when i first walked
through corporate corridors
my handlers coached me
be crude, be vicious, be cold

but i kept my meek, warm heart

and when the doors open
i will play to win