The Cost of Yes

by Opal Hart · 12/02/2026
Published 12/02/2026 13:03

The card says 'Congratulations' in gold.

The office is quiet, the vent is cold.

I begged for this desk, I cried for the pay.

Now I sit in the dark at the end of the day.


The noodles are sticky, the soy sauce is salt.

This heavy, new hunger is all my own fault.

I’m too tired to swallow, too hollow to eat.

The high-gloss paper is stuck to the meat.

#burnout #corporate ambition #existential emptiness #office monotony

12 likes · 4 comments

Comments

intimatesound · Feb 20, 2026

the paper stuck to the meat is kind of gross

Miguel Couto · Feb 20, 2026

I've had those nights where you're just too tired to even eat your dinner

Lark Grey · Feb 21, 2026

I didn't really get the part about the gold card

Opal Hart · Feb 21, 2026

its just one of those fancy promotion cards they leave on your desk to say congrats. looks nice but doesnt really help with the burnout.

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