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Character Assassination

They gave my character references
from a point I had never stood
Then put quotes around what they wrote about me until wrong started sounding good
Turned pauses into problems,
made my very silence sound suspicious
Then passed assumptions mouth to mouth until gossip came back official

I’ve been called cold by colder people
fake by folks rehearsing faces
Watched everybody lose themselves
just tryna keep up appearances
That’s the part that gets me most is 
how quick a role becomes a name
Wear a mask for long enough
and somehow I’m the one who changed

They studied every period pick apart my commas too
The whole time dodging question marks that keep pointing back at you
Tried to get a conviction with no evidence, confidence confused for proof
Everybody tells it different but somehow everybody knows the truth

I could give my own statement
but … who would it convince?
People only cross-examine
what might contradict their own script
So let them keep the parts they gave me, villain fits me pretty well
I’ve seen saints stay in character
while still raising all kinds of hell

So quote me wrong, write me off,
and make your little edits fit
Just remember character assassination
leaves the killer in the script
And if they need a reference
to decide which character is which
Tell them check the fingerprints
because mine ain’t on that b****

Copyright © Brenda Chiri | Year Posted 2026

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Date: 8/18/2026 5:37:00 AM

The lies that turn into someone else's truth. It's a pity people are so intent on character assignation.

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