Rilke's irony: Puppets are people / People are puppets

Rilke may not be famous for saying

That the magic of puppets is

That they seem to be alive.

Nor is he famous for saying that people

Behave like puppets.

(hmmmm)

He had very high expectations

For the theater

Or was it just that he entertained no hope at all

That his fellow humans

Would ever get off script.

He said it was a very good use of his time

To hang out in the theater until something happened

Rather than waste his days

Searching for a sign of life in the street.