A Characterization that Lies with You

It does if you do. You feel
As if you are selecting
What should be said on this page,

But already you’re lying.
If it says, it’s not a page
But a speaker of some sort,

Meaning either a body
That’s speaking what should be said
Or a machine replaying

A recording—or maybe
Making this all up from scratch.
And if this is on a page

It’s only speaking by means
Of someone reading aloud
Or a tech that lets pages

Speak in actual voices.
All characterization
Lies with whoever it is—

Writer, reader, or actor—
Who’s projecting character
As language. The characters

In any language,
From pronouns to tragedies
To autobiographies,

Are always fictions
That lie with you, letting you
Lie with the rest of the world.