The Sordid Puppetry

They glorified me, telling me all sorts of things – “you’re a fast learner”, “You are talented!” “You are the best”; “there is no one better than you when it comes to writing.” They tried to spoon-feed all this garbage to me thinking I’d swallow it up like the rest of the puppets they had tied on their strings. The puppeteer controlled puppets that controlled other puppets and the puppet show went on and on. I simply cut my strings without finding new ones and fell. I didn’t know how I was going to fall or where I was going to land… I just decided to cut myself off and fall. Everyone had their reasons to remain tied up in the intertwined puppetry. No singular purpose. No personal goals. They looked at each other, complained and cried about how the strings hurt and how badly they are sewed into their skin but they never wanted to break free. When they’d come across a puppet that outperformed them, they’d simply begin labeling it as extraordinary or an exceptional case. That wasn’t true. No puppet was less or more significant than the other. They were all the same. No one was talented; no one was superior or inferior. The only difference was where they were placed by the vicissitudes of fate. Their cloth was the same. The threads were the same. The smiles on their faces were sewed in similar manner. They weren’t special. They weren’t ordinary. They were all the same. Only a few would break out. Some would tear off. The puppets tried to revolt but their strings were pulled harder. When the puppeteer had no use for them, he’d cut them off. Extra shows… long nights… early mornings… no rest… disease… unethical ill-treatment… it was just cruel. When the time came, I landed. I fell hard on to the floor but I got up. When I looked above… I only saw miles and miles of puppets. I was glad to be free. I burned the set and watched it all turn to ash. I stood on the mountain of ashes and made it my bed till I could feel the souls of those I freed thank me as they grazed me on their way to the vacant skies above. I sunk into the ashes and was engulfed by darkness.