Entangled Marionette

Emily Ding ‘26

This piece conveys the effects that overthinking and striving for perfection has on me, becoming so entangled in my own head I become paralyzed—like a puppet. Dancing on a stage for only my own standards to meet, diluted, oppositions thoughts symbolized by collaged material pull me in different directions. Forever stranded in my own mindset, unable to break free, this piece reflects my fear impending my actions as my anxiety consumes me.

as we passed by again.

in which my vision lay still

fixated on a half decayed corpse.

a rabbit, its legs still pumping

towards the edge of the trees.

deft fur graced its back, white

and matte with patches of twigs.

its dreary eyes leak red and

my memory begins to fade,

sticks prod at its sides as I

pray for meaning to return.

in which my vision lay still

in columns of novels. I hate those

yellow pages, the words I used

to love now smear foul ink down

my chest, I used to adore writing.

whisper into my ears once

more, and again i’ll find myself

in that disembodied voice of

yours. id have taken comfort

had there been a connection.

my vision starts to fade, and

my stomach begins to turn,

whereupon the light fades

and I stare into disembodied eyes

that wearily attempt comfort.

I open my mouth to speak and

grasp the words in my palms, but

my withered lungs wring themselves

dry of my voice. I regrettably

breathe again, air so thick with hate.

as your chest rises, mine sinks.

Chase Csutoras ‘26

This poem represents a period of my life where I felt my creativity was completely drained. I wrote this during a particularly boring stretch of time, and revised it later on when I broke out of writers block. The poem is a conflict between my desire to create and the lack of motivation I had at the time.