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JUKE
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JOINT
Pinocchio
Shiny plastic and wood
Make a puppet,
Subject to the real boy’s whims.
Open-hinge mouth
And arms on a wire.
You dance for him.
Placed in the corner shelf
Between a forgotten truck,
Banged up with play,
And a threadbare Raggedy Andy.
You count the days
Before you’re sent away.
Nicole Zelniker is an editorial researcher at The Conversation US and a recent graduate of the Columbia Journalism School. She has published several pieces of poetry and short stories as well as Mixed, a non-fiction book about race and mixed-race families. Read more of her work at nicolezelniker.wordpress.com.
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