[Intro — dry, first person, habitual] I'm mostly fine— I've just gotten good at carrying it. [Verse 1 — Monday, the next desk over] You meet me Monday. I've already read the manual. I ask you three things you didn't know you knew. You leave thinking: sharp. Funny. Kind of a lot. You're right on all three. There's more. Later. "How's the move?" you ask. "All good," I say—before you're done asking. [Verse 2 — back home] Back home they say he landed on his feet. He always does. That's the story, and it's true. Somebody there gets a text at nine each night With a period at the end, like a door. "How's he doing?" "All good." They're passing on the word. [Chorus — the pitch; warm before the words register] I'm mostly fine, Keep the empty room outside the call. Mostly fine, Say "all good"—it almost covers all. I don't set it down. I don't know what it weighs. I'm mostly fine; That's what I tell them anyway. [Verse 3 — the ones who only know the work] We met the plan before we met the man. Forty pages, numbered, every risk assigned. He counts the ways a thing can fail. That's the job. We asked him how he was. He sent the next draft. "You good?" one of us typed once. "All good." Timestamp: 3:12. [Verse 4 — the apartment] The apartment came with excellent acoustics For somebody who owns one chair. One key on the ring. A short list for tonight. Nothing on it is likely. I checked. It's heard the pitch four times today— Same four words, same weight. The last one came a half-beat late. [Pre-Chorus] I type a longer answer, Then take out the parts that breathe. I can make a life look furnished From the doorway of a screen. All good. [Chorus] I'm mostly fine, Keep the empty room outside the call. Mostly fine, Say "all good"—it almost covers all. I don't set it down. I don't know what it weighs. I'm mostly fine; That's what I tell them anyway. [Bridge — kick continues; bass drops out] The room goes quiet after midnight, But quiet isn't rest. I set the keys down on the carpet— Still no table here, I guess. They sound heavier than metal For a thing I chose to bring. Maybe I'm not carrying it. Maybe it is carrying me. [Final Chorus — confident vocal; one layer disappears] I'm mostly fine, Keep the empty room outside the call. Mostly fine, Say "all good"—it almost covers all. I don't set it down. I don't know what it weighs. I'm mostly fine; That's what I tell myself anyway. [Outro — sparse, practiced not hopeful] The clock says home. The phone says here. My mouth still knows the pitch. The rest of me has heard it. One box stays closed. Tomorrow, then.
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