Playing Pretend

Do you remember those days when we would play pretend and imagine for fun?

Now it’s different

We pretend that everything will be okay even though we cannot tell

We pretend we know what we are talking about even though no one does

We pretend that we fit in even though we know we are different

We pretend to be happy even though our fake smiles are hidden by masks and computer screens

We pretend that someday it will get better even though nobody knows the future 

We pretend we are strong even though tears are sliding down our cheeks

We pretend now so we don’t feel hopeless

I wish I could go back to those days when pretending was fun.