Liberation

They didn’t know. What they knew
Was indirect transmission,
The transactions of the signs,

Which were deadly, in a way,
Sure, but in the way of tools
In general, that could turn

To weapons in skillful hands
But weren’t agents in themselves.
When the signs shook free of them,

They didn’t see them going,
Too busy still using them
For exchanging messages,

Not noticing they’d exchanged
Messages for genuine.