The Puppet

I am a puppet with a conscience

My silk strings have been snapped

And I fall in a heap of silent depression

Crestfallen I lay, my button eyes blank and sad

Strewn out like archaic dust

I feel the stake in my heart

I see the thorns in my side

I hear the chains rattling, laughing

Suddenly, the curtains rise and I spring to life

The spider strings dance above my head

I blindly walk in a mechanical daze

In and out of my artificial life

The stage lights burn and tarnish my face

The peevish smiles and taunts from the crowd prick at my skin

My only fanfare is cold silence

Finally, the lights fade and the curtains close

I’m thrown into the corner

I feel useless and alone

My master has cast me off into the dark

And so I hang

Lifeless but alive

Dead to myself but alive to the world