the evening rose

The Puppet and the String-holder

“Please remove the threads that bind my neck
And give my tired limbs rest for a while
Do I not rise again after each break?
To dance in the show in your chosen style!

“Why give me credit or curse my dance!
I moved according to the pulls of your chord
Were not my steps good or bad by chance
Or by your favors and frowns, my Lord!”

“Nothing here moves by chance, my son!
I will them, but I am not cruel or kind
They were all what your dance had won
You have bound yourself, I did not bind

“You can act in any way that suits you
But for your failures don’t blame me
Though source from which the results ensue
I have left you and your actions free”

Apr. ’09