Theatre of the Absurd

THEATRE OF THE ABSURD


Puppets, all parts, perpetually working.
Tense strings, plucked, with novice fingers.
Ruby sawdust sparkles with the warm sun.
Puppets on strings, such silly things!

A play set nearby, a seesaw, those twins –
Hansel and Gretel, balancing between life and death.
The wretched sound of falling trees, pulled
from resistant roots - ground shakes violently.

The buzzing of saws, like bees in a honey hive.
Splinters of puppet bone, praying for relief.
The lies that Pinocchio told - stubs compared to this.
The darkening of the witch’s wood, with terrible treats.

Wooden toes, stumble and tiptoe, over windswept limbs,
sending shivers through their gnawing cold bones,
as twigs fly and snap, popping of puppet props.
Leading the way, Ali Baba whispers “open sesame” -

They hide in a craven cave, whilst the forest implodes.
Perpetual motion, like watches, ticking of time-bombs.
Pinocchio cracks jokes, like he’s done this all before.
Treasures glisten in candlelight, “what have we done…”

Whispers of a forest saved, puppets clamorous in mine -
Their eyes like multicolored jewels, hideous in the gloom.
Redwoods run with stilt-like legs, banging at their door -
Begging for one last kindness, followed by sudden silence.

They arise at dawn, the parade of puppets on strings.
Silly things, characters performed by naïve children –
playing at war. They hear a cackle, as she, lures them inside.
Guard down, until the urchins ears bleed, with screams of kindling.

2/6/2017
Copyright © | Year Posted 2017

Poem

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White Avatar
February 7, 2017 at 3:04 AM
Wonderful alliteration indeed! I can see this parade of puppets on strings, almost a Pied Piper like vision it gives me.
Rodrigues Avatar
February 7, 2017 at 6:51 AM
Thank you, Darren! :)
Warrior Avatar
February 6, 2017 at 10:45 PM
Very well portrayed Kim...you are the puppet master lol...god bless...^WW^
Rodrigues Avatar
February 6, 2017 at 11:02 PM
Thank you!
May Avatar
February 6, 2017 at 3:47 PM
Very nicely penned Kim...with a chilling ending..best wishes
Rodrigues Avatar
February 6, 2017 at 5:08 PM
Thank you!
Rodrigues Avatar
February 6, 2017 at 5:08 PM
Thank you!
Johnson-Saunders Avatar
February 6, 2017 at 10:35 AM
A gruesome fairy tale, Kim...well written and intriguing till the end! Lots of luck in the contest. L&B, Rhonda
Rodrigues Avatar
February 6, 2017 at 11:35 AM
Thank you, Rhonda!
Green Avatar
February 6, 2017 at 10:01 AM
Very strange Kim and definitely absurd in a Grimm's kind of way. I really enjoyed this, read it a few times just so it would sink in. Nicely done my friend.
Rodrigues Avatar
February 6, 2017 at 11:35 AM
Thank you, Chris! Grimmishing...lol
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