Ghost Pepper ©

The story — in my words

I wrote this one after watching a guy in the warehouse try to prove a point during a fifteen-minute break. He had this little bottle of unmarked hot sauce and a look of pure, misguided confidence. We were sitting under those buzzing fluorescent lights, and I watched his face turn three different shades of purple while he tried to keep his dignity in front of the new hire. There is something tragic and hilarious about that blue-collar bravado—that 'titan of the punch clock' mentality where you’d rather melt your own chest than admit a pepper beat you. We cut the track to feel heavy and desperate, capturing that exact moment when the pride leaves your body and all you want in the world is a carton of 2% milk.