Poppet Masters

Lock it up, tie them down;

those feelings bubbling to the brim,

at the surface of your mangled being.

Pull them in, push them out.

Paste a smile on your narrow face,

with an open hand to give away.

Don’t you speak, don’t you feel,

don’t have the audacity to break down

a character they paid you to create.

You’re only as important,

as the patrons to your life let you stay.