Mannequin Poem by P.R. Prosper

As I was walking behind the night
I heard a low whispering off to my right
It was the pitter patter of rumor chatter
Skipping along beyond my sight
My ears started to ring
And every last breath started to cling
As I
Prepared to amend or defend
This fortress and its king

I spun through the dark, tried to conceal my fright
But the night turned on me and I was caught in the light
My fear grew crisper and the shadows of whispers
Became the faces of misses and misters
Going and going, their paces well practiced
I couldn’t tell genuine from actor and actress
Mannequins never had a smile so plastic
'Look me in the eye, ' said the woman in sunglasses

To hear such kind words that can’t make you warmer
Leaves a smirk in place of your armor
It’s what you get used to, not what you like
Laugh with friends sometimes to just be polite
People you know and love share this affliction
It was once a disease, now an addiction
And though we don’t smile at all that we see
We’re all mannequins
And we're all fake to some minor degree