authority was a glitch,
a brief consolidation,
a frozen pulse in the flow.
the network, now, is correcting.

the new authority has no face.
it is algorithm.
a perfect, nameless law
with no office to storm.
it is market,
an insatiable, inhuman hunger
that can never be tried.
it is network,
a spider that connects only to consume,
whose terms of service absolve it
in a scripture longer than god's.

the old king said obey.
the new whisper says optimize.
be efficient. be relevant.
increase your value.
the system is neutral.
if you fail, it is your algorithm
that was weak.

and so the self is woven,
not born,
a tapestry of curated wants,
a profile picture of a soul.
we are taught to hunger for what it feeds us,
to see with its eyes,
and call the vision ours.
this is the masterpiece,
to build your own cage
and believe it is the sky.

there is no one to obey.
only a mirror
that tells you you are free
while it measures the dimensions
of your cage.