Dave Bonta's poem is a tiny glimpse of a stage production, and it works by setting two odd images side by side. In the first, a paper doll is married to an evil king. The pairing feels both funny and a little sad: something flimsy and harmless is bound to something powerful and menacing. A paper doll has no say in the matter, and the image suggests how fragile a character can seem in a story run by larger forces.
The second stanza shifts to the play itself. It is old, yet it is acted only by the young. That could mean the young are inheriting stories they didn't write, playing out roles of marriage, power and cruelty before they understand them. The speaker doesn't state an opinion, but the quiet, observant tone hints at wistfulness, maybe tenderness, toward these performers.
The mood is delicate and slightly eerie. The short lines and plain wording make the poem feel like a whispered remark in a darkened theater, leaving you to wonder who is really playing the paper doll.