What have you done for me lately? What are you doing for me now? I need payment for my goodness And I need you to show me now All of life is just transactions Never ending quid pro quo Storing up those favors You know what you owe Conditional world, conditional life Always performing with our back to a knife No bad days allowed No crying out loud Just smile and work Or they’ll put you six feet in the dirt Always reaping what you’re sowing Always expecting a return Always asking for a favor Always afraid of getting burned We’re just one mistake away Just one problem and bad day Puts us one step from our fall Always so close to losing it all Jump through those hoops Play all the games Say the right things Or get put to shame Conditional world, conditional life Always performing with our back to a knife No bad days allowed No crying out loud Just smile and work Or they’ll put you six feet in the dirt You owe me and I owe you That’s what we all believe is true You’re either giving or you’re taking That’s the thing that we all do You think you have a friendship You think you have support But be an asshole for a day And that will fall apart Conditional world, conditional life Always performing with our back to a knife No bad days allowed No crying out loud Just smile and work Or they’ll put you six feet in the dirt You’re no different than a business You’re no different than a slave You’d better be producing Or they’ll lock you in a cage You think there’s love and friendship But don’t put it to the test Those words are just illusions We use to not feel stressed Conditional world, conditional life Always performing with our back to a knife No bad days allowed No crying out loud Just smile and work Or they’ll put you six feet in the dirt Please like, subscribe, comment, and share. Your support is greatly appreciated!
"Jump through those hoops
Play all the games
Say the right things
Or get put to shame"
That feels a lot like control and having someone control you makes you feel like a puppet in a puppet show.That's scary
"Conditional world, conditional life
Always performing with our back to a knife
No bad days allowed
No crying out loud
Just smile and work
Or they’ll put you six feet in the dirt"
This is a backstab waiting to happen people holding you close just to put a knife in your back like you never meant anything to them.
This poem is just amazing 🫂
The idea that love has to survive a bad day to count as real is such a brutal but accurate diagnosis of how conditional most support actually is. It's easy to talk about unconditional anything until someone actually tests it with a bad week. Rest and belonging shouldn't have to be earned back every single time, but that's exactly how it feels most days.