He held the keys to every screen,
The man behind the velvet rope.
They lined the halls in heels and dreams,
He dangled futures, fame, and hope.
A nod from him could birth a star,
Or send it crumbling down the slope—
He shaped the world with scripts and threats,
A tyrant cloaked in cine-scope.
The whispers lived in every lot,
In trailer hush, in hallway glance.
They said, “Be smart,” they said, “Be still,”
They said, “Don’t blow your only chance.”
He cornered, pressed, he promised roles,
Then claimed consent in circumstance.
A robe, a room, a locked regret—
And silence signed the devil’s dance.
Some fled the town. Some played along.
Some tried to warn, were told to wait.
His lawyers spun, his wallet ruled,
And studios protected weight.
For years, his name was gold and fire,
Until the dam gave way to fate—
And one voice cracked, then two, then scores,
Each echo sealing shut the gate.
He’s gone now—exiled, broken, caged,
But not before the cost was tallied:
The roles they lost, the lives derailed,
The nights they fought, the years they rallied.
He built an empire out of fear,
But truth came strong, and truth came rallied.
He taught the world how men abuse—
They taught it how to rise, unbowed, and carry.
-
Author:
Matthew R. Callies (
Offline) - Published: May 2nd, 2026 00:02
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 6
- Users favorite of this poem: Friendship, Tristan Robert Lange
- In collections: Bloodletters and Badmen.
Offline)
Comments3
Power, corruption, lust, greed, money, sex, secrets and all in one person and all in a poem nicely written
Well written
Matthew, this is a powerful piece…what struck me most is how controlled it is. The anger never spills…it sharpens. And that image of silence becoming part of the harm, then breaking into voices rising together…that arc lands hard. You let the truth speak without dressing it up, and that gives it real weight. Well written, my friend. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
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