[Intro]
Conference Room B, five-oh-eight,
marker tray gone dry.
Three bullets kept their tidy rank;
the margin had replies.

[Verse 1]
Ben stepped back, paper cup,
counted once. Twice.
Threshold one. Threshold two.
Threshold three in level print.
Blue marker beside them
left one helpful hint.

[Verse 2]
EXCEPTIONS, all in capitals:
red, then green, then black.
Arrows came from every edge.
Forward. Sideways. Back.
“Developing enough” now wore
a circle and a star.
Ben said, “Almost measurable.”
The laugh went half as far.

[Chorus]
The exceptions column
runs longer than the rules.
Three tidy bullets,
rows of qualifying notes.
The exceptions column
has learned how to grow.
Read the system clearly;
then count the notes below.

[Instrumental Break]

[Verse 3]
He matched the three clean bullets
to the crowded side.
Seven notes. Then nine. Then twelve.
Thirteen below the line.
Someone underlined “review”
and boxed the word “unless.”
The wording stayed official;
the threshold shifted by degrees.

[Bridge]
Nina came for her laptop,
paused beneath the buzzing light.
She saw Ben eyeing the board
like it might answer if polite.
“Don’t erase that yet,” she said,
raising up her phone.
The shutter clicked. The room stayed still.
The photo kept the count.

[Chorus]
The exceptions column
runs longer than the rules.
Three tidy bullets,
rows of qualifying notes.
The exceptions column
has learned how to grow.
Read the system clearly;
then count the notes below.

[Outro]
Half-erased date remained.
Lights switched off in rows.
Ben left the capped marker there.
Nina’s photo kept it plain:
one board before deletion,
held in ordinary light.

[End]