Layoffs, a relook

Yes—today I stand as founder
of an organization.
Let the company hold the hands,
befriend its employees until their
journey’s end.

Fresh as they are, I behold
dreams glimmering in their eyes.

Let me guard their innocence,
not shatter it with
monstrous procedures,
a cruel litany of inimical lies.

If ever I must cast them aside,
I would rather close my doors,
my head bowed in shame
for profits wrung
from such a sordid game.

And so I pray to God:
do not turn me into a terrorist,
a willing culprit
who, in the name of business,
fires upon the unarmed,
banishing them without remorse.

If I should ever succumb,
let guilt consume me
as they depart with broken steps,
odd and unsteady gaits.

In that moment,
may I not puff my chest
with the arrogance of cost
saved— but see only
a machine stripped of use,
utterly lost.

No, I will not tread upon them.
Until they choose to leave,
let me not abandon a single soul,
let that alone be my goal.

Before I destroy their journeys
midway,
let me relook at the rule book:
let it proclaim that layoffs are
failures of vision, never
successes.