You pretend to shine, you pretend to smile
But you are either soft or hard inside
You face the wall or perhaps cry
Come back again, to them you lie

You pretend to care, or not to care.
You thought people are just the minimum bare
You think they are hard to please or you please them in despair
You pretend to be a fool, you pretend when they are there.

The man you pretend to be is the man from the old trees
They hope the trees grow, be a log instantly
You can pretend to be a man but never an old tree
A man reveals his skin through his mind you'll see

You pretend to be good or to be bad
Either way, you are just sad
And lonely. We pretend, and we're glad.
But the man you pretend to be, can you stop him?
Are you happy to be him, when your light dims?
You are, don't you?
I know, it is hard to say no to that man
Let him live or we'll be damned

I know he is the best version of you
Even though he is not your truth
Perhaps he is the fruit
Of the past, the future, or the expectations
That man you pretend to be, a man of creation
We can't stop him, can we?
Should we?

© PoPoetry