Try

I tried to build a man.

I tried to dislodge the puppet strings that were in charge of his mouth but were actually being operated from downsouth thus he always knew want to say but never said too much – just the tip.
Leaving my ears heaving for a flutter of music that could play on the strings of my heart.

I tried to make a man.

The parts came to me already assembled with no instruction manual but instead of returning to sender, I chose to Pinocchio my way through, knowing very well that he wasn’t a real boy and that there was no heart in him.

I tried to teach a man.

The lessons were quite simple: 1 plus 1 makes 2 yet the 2 cannot become 1 if the 1 adds in more than the other. Despite how many times I offered to put in a higher percentage, we could never make a complete whole.

I tried to fix him so that all his moving parts would be reflected in my spirit.
I tried to fix a man, yet I was the one who was broken.