Every week I go to see a puppeteer at his show
His puppets, you see
They are bright and colorful, each one unique
One is strong and tough
A heart of a lion, they say
Nothing can frighten him
He doesn't let anyone close enough.
Wary of each person
For a minuscule sign to indicate
His guard should be in place
Another, is soft and caring
Tender eyes with generous laugh lines
Bright, wide eyes that take in the world
The soul of a saint
Worth more than its weight in gold
This blue one over here to the right
With that tear running down his face
That is one that isn't shown often
No, this is one that the puppeteer uses sparingly
This is every pain and every heartache felt
The mistrusted words, negligent actions
What the world has made him
A burden crippling his back
But too scared to pass the burden on
Slumped on the floor
All but forgotten is one full of life
He is yellow with a green suit
He is the jokester when things get too tough
The insecure glances and awkward laughter
That avoid difficult conversations
And painful memories
unbearable "has been's," "will be's," and "could be one day's".
All of these puppets are significant
Each tells a different story, but not the story I yearn to hear
I come, week in and week out
To seethe tall tell told
Awaiting the day that the mysterious puppeteer will stop
Peeking from behind his curtain
And will greet me with the timid smile I have seen before
I want to see the chiseled hands of a fighter
The tousled hair of a worrier
I will see the soft eyes of a lover
And the pale skin of someone who hides behind
Implied stories and assumed stories
I will hear each story, I will see every puppet on my journey
Until the puppeteer will appear for his well deserved applause
And years that it may take
Seeing puppets and hearing falsities and truths sandwiched between filled silence
Dancing around, telling stories in tiny bits of honesty with floods of honesty
One day this puppeteer will see
I am just an audience of one
One person awaiting his story to be told
But there is power with one
With the power to light the path
To freedom
