Aivan Karade Who am I without my job

The prompt did the heavy lifting by half-past ten
I’ve been staring at the cursor since I don’t know when
My avatar is thriving, she’s a ten-out-of-ten
But I’m just a ghost in a cardigan
My bio says Visionary, Hustler, Light
But I’m just a person eating leftovers tonight
The algorithm’s hungry, it wants a new take
But I’m fresh out of fakes for heaven’s sake

Is there a ghost in the machine? Or is it just me?
Trying to remember how to just be
Un-sync the calendar, kill the Wi-Fi
I’m looking for the me that doesn't have to try

I’m clocking out of the person I built
I’m shedding the skin and the digital guilt
Don’t ask for my handle, don’t ask for my name
I’m finally playing a different game

I’m messy in the kitchen, I’m bad at the guitar
I’m not monetizing how weird we are
No ring light, no edit, no link in the bio
Just me and the silence, solo and solo
The AI wrote my emails, it wrote my goodbye
But it can’t feel the itch in the corner of my eye
It can’t feel the carpet underneath my feet
It’s too efficient to ever be sweet

If I’m not creating, am I even here?
If I’m not consuming, do I disappear?
The horror is the void where the brand used to be
But the void is the only place I’m finally free

I’m clocking out of the person I built
I’m shedding the skin and the digital guilt
Don’t ask for my handle, don’t ask for my name
I’m finally playing a different game

Off-clock
No data
Just skin