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