The poem is very short, but it packs in a quiet joke and a quiet ache. It begins with a scene at the office: a play with puppets. The "but" that follows turns things around. The speaker suggests that we are a bit like puppets ourselves, and that, like puppets, we expect "a letting go." That could mean the moment when the strings are dropped, when the performance ends, or when the working day lets us out.
The title, "Pulling strings," points to the idea of being controlled, as if office workers move at someone else's tug. Yet the speaker doesn't sound angry. The tone is dry, wry and a little weary. The longing for release feels gentle, almost resigned, as though letting go is something we wait for rather than demand.
The mood is light on the surface and wistful underneath. Because the lines are so brief, the final phrase lingers, leaving us to decide what exactly we hope to be freed from.