Puppet

I am a puppet...
Watch me bend to the hand of my masters,
Smile listlessly as I contemplate my next move
and am then jerked back to centre stage and forced to dance.
Watch my face light up, When I see my simple loves in the audience,
then down the house lights dim,
and the venue vanishes from view.
Watch my limbs struggle against the strings
that bind me and cut ruthlessly into my flesh,
with one hand stretched in hope.
Watch my face, as it burns in exertion
and sweat is intensified by the blinding spotlight,
my chest heaving, as I try desperately
...to break free