[Intro]

[Verse 1]
Mid-afternoon, coffee gone flat
Desk twelve sends a note to desk eight
One line needs checking, simple as that
Before we let the story take shape
I say, fine, whose name goes in here
There’s an owner field, clean and clear
I open the ticket, scan the form
Nothing there. Just space to fill.

[Verse 2]
First reply says try Standards instead
Standards says Metro had context first
Metro says Legal should look at the thread
Legal says, “Check the source again.”
I count the handoffs under my breath
Four, five, six, then seven, I guess
The forward chain grows line by line
A two-minute check eating half my time

[Chorus]
Who owns the check?
I’m not trying to dodge it
Who owns the check?
Put a name beside it
One fact, one field, one name attached
I understand why we verify
I just need to know whose desk gets it
Who owns the check?

[Verse 3]
By three-fifteen, it reaches Nina
Late little ping in a crowded tray
She scans the thread and says, “Ben, is this it?
Why did it reach me this way?”
I hold up both hands, not proud, not mad
Just tired of the laps it made me run
She clears the item in under a minute
The long part was finding who it belonged to

[Instrumental Break]

[Chorus]
Who owns the check?
Now the joke is wearing thin
Who owns the check?
Seven handoffs in
One fact, one field, one name attached
I understand why we verify
I just need to know whose desk gets it
Who owns the check?

[Outro]
I close the thread and lean back slow
Another request sits ready to go
The owner field is blank again
I leave the cursor blinking there
Who owns the check?

[End]