Puppets dance—
jerked by their master’s hand—
up, down, right, left
they do the steps
a collective array of limbs,
lights dim
they collapse in a heap
at last, sleep—
tomorrow it all begins again
it never ends,
a gaped mouth audience stare
unaware
of the truth
beneath the entertainment
warming their souls
transported far
from the ordinary
mundane task of living.
The artist struggles
The spectators stare.
Stairs are climbed
as bells chime
to do it all over again.
One puppet struggles
against the strings
she pulls and pulls
until she is free
yet collapses in a heap—
there is no movement
she can make
without the hand of her maker—
her limbs are helpless
off of stage
she’s nothing
but a puppet.
“Oh to be human!” She cries.
To move without the will of another
but because she herself wills it,
to dance without rhyme
without reason
for no one’s entertainment
but her own.
Her movements are jerky
as her master brings her back on stage—
another day
another cage,
she flips and flops at his command,
his will is her will
his hand is her hand.
As she tumbles and tosses
accepting her losses
she catches an eye
of a stranger,
he sees her danger
and a promise flies through space.
Later that night
when people count sheep,
he creeps on stage
and unwraps her from the heap
of other puppets fast asleep.
He takes her by her strings
and cuts her loose
frees her from the tight noose
where life is a lose-lose.
“But how will I move?”
She whispers in fear,
“The strings are what sets me in gear
“Without strings I’m nothing here.”
“Don’t worry,” He smiles,
“You’ll still have your strings
“but with your strings
“I’m giving you wings
“to soar above the puppet king.
“I’m attaching one string to the trees
“another to the earth
“a third to the sky
“where you could fly
“on nature’s lullaby.
“No longer are you in the care of man
“but free on the winds of the land
“nature’s your boss now
“so go out and live
“enjoy what life has to give.”
***
The puppet is free
she soars above stage
above her people stuck in a cage
dancing to a bygone age.
The puppet is free
she can finally see
a world made of glass
she has surpassed
as she sails on the wind.