Puppet Master

 

 Skillfully proficient he is

 

Plying my strings like a marionette

 

There for the taking, manipulating

 

Every stroke of the unseen floss

 

Compelling me to move unbidden.

 

~

Is anyone watching ….

 

~

For an audience of one

 

Alone he plays

 

The mastermind behind the curtain

 

The king of the stage

 

No thought of the puppet he holds.

 

~

Wicked laugh …

      

         ~

Wooden heels clicking

 

Dancing in time

 

With the double timed tempo

 

No breath may I take

 

For to him I’m artificial.

~

 

Silence ….

 

~

Crescendo of music;

 

Slowly my blood begins to race

 

Waiting for the explosion of sound

 

The thrill of adrenaline

 

It temps me to move;

~

 

Break free ….

 

~

To close my eyes

 

And ride the red and black waves

 

Carried within a circular shell of motion

 

To rip the threads that bind

 

And hold me tethered to this spot.

 

~

 

Marionette, oh! Marionette ….

 

~

 

You’ll now be one for me….

 

 

 

~Angela Beck

Reviews

[Zoe Jay]

Could you put it into a slightly larger font size? It's a little difficult if you've got bad eyesight like me, lol :-)

I really like the use of the italicized refrains, it has the feel of a stage direction, which I am sure is deliberate, it really enhances the feel of a play or performance and keeps the reader outside of the poem, like an audience member, observing. It also anchors the structure. I like that this poem can be read different ways - "he" could be read as either a lover, or as God. The last verse in particular made me think of the whole poem as a metaphor for love-making as well... "ride the red and black waves". The whole piece also strongly evokes the sensuality of the theater, the color, the sounds, the action, the tension, the catharsis of performance on stage. The whole puppet metaphor is a beautiful discussion both of our own fated existence, our relationship with God, and the ways in which we make our choices in life and how we are influenced by others. In some ways, free will is all just a performance, a show, the suspension of disbelief. Very smart and very well written poem! :-)

[Rayne]

I changed the font size for you Zoe, and thank you for your reveiw.. This is what I love about sharing poetry, the different ways people veiw it, and what they each get out of it, and how everyone is so different. Yours is by far the view I've enjoyed reading the most! It's as if you can see it all so perfectly! (Which is rare) I love it.. Thank you =-)