Crank my lever,
tense me up
real good..
before you pull
the string.
Don’t release me
quite so easily..
Oh baby.. Hold me,
As you push me
to my very brink.

For,
spring is both
a season
and a source..
and a coiling,
metal helix also..
meant for
accumulating
force.

The force
that pushes Jack
out of his box.
Alas, he’s not
The One
who wields this force..
From his perspective
he is fully at the whims
of the capricious
Lady Luck.
He knows, at least,
that he is not The One
who holds the box..

The One who holds it
is The One
who cranks the lever..
and The One
who pulls the string.
He goes by many names..
but you may address him
as The Crimson King.