Paper People

Their arms are thinner and lighter than ours
Their necks can be snapped as easily as flowers´
Their legs are spindly and frail
Their only hope when threatened is to turn tail
Or hope to be spared
You can’t tell when paper people are scared
They´re always pale

My gentle friend made of paper
I never meant to break her

When I reached out for her hand as she fell
Her white wrist tore
Paper people feel pain, but can’t yell
So she only whispered “farewell”
She had never spoken before

My gentle friend made of paper fell into the lake
I saw her limbs slowly break

Her invisible skin melded with the water
Her smiling face slowly faded
Her body eventually degraded
And there was nothing of my friend left

I never meant to break her