2/5 A Dark Day (Broadway). ISRC-CB-GWT-26-00264

A new day... A new chapter... That's what I believed. I wore my uniform with my name, Got a grant and a little fame. My photograph was framed and shown, In newsletters sent to the world unknown. A bright new path had opened wide, With hope and promise on my side. The government program had begun, Another brainchild had just begun. Another dream had just begun... Then a new VP walked through the door, Then an advisor — and one more. Out of retirement, back to the game, Each one arriving with a different aim. “Close John down!” “Stop that flame!” “Control the power, protect the name!” My invention should end, they all declared, The power must stay where it was carefully shared. The dream was changing... I could feel it in the air. The page turned, And suddenly the room was filled With duplicates and substitutes, With plans that never built. The owner bought three businesses, Like echoes from the past— Old failures following old failures, How long could this one last? I kept my distance, ran ahead, While numbers started falling. The GM couldn't balance books— And accountants kept calling! “Where did all the money go?" “Where did all the money go?” It's a dark chapter in this life, The system cuts just like a knife. The government stepped in to save, Still backing the plan, still standing brave. But I threw in the towel that day... And watched the dream begin to fade... Watched it all just slip away. One small staff was kept aside, In a corner where the dream could hide. Then HR training came one day— Perhaps a severance plan was on its way. I learned a lesson about the game, About responsibility, power, and blame. “Have me done,” I thought I knew the score— But there was something waiting at the door. I sat in Washington, far away, On an unexpected trip that day. Then I came home and found the news— The letters had gone; there was nothing to choose. To every former member of the team... The notices arrived like a broken dream. I was out of the picture Before the final cut was made.

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