Corporate tool — Summary

in the arms of the corporation I found myself

a contract I am resolved not to alter

they understand me and all who feel only half made

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The speaker describes landing inside a corporation and, strangely, feeling found there. "In the arms of the corporation" sounds almost like being held by a parent or lover, and that comfort is the unsettling part. The speaker calls themselves "a contract" they are "resolved not to alter," as if their identity has become a set of fixed terms, something signed and settled rather than chosen freely.

The final lines shift to "they," the corporation, who "understand me / and all who feel only half made." Here the poem suggests that the company offers to complete people who feel lacking. It seems to promise belonging in exchange for becoming a fixture of the system. The title, "Corporate tool," adds a double edge: a tool is useful, but it is also used.

The mood is quiet and ambiguous. The speaker sounds calm, even grateful, yet the flat, businesslike language leaves a chill. It's hard to tell whether this is relief or surrender, and the poem lets that discomfort sit.

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