It's All Pretend

Let’s all pretend.

         Everything.

Pretend competence,

         incompetence,

what difference

         can pretense make?.

Speak with a voice

         sane with reason,

god is dead.

         Scream insistently

at no one in particular,

         everything is god,

nothing is divine.

         Ancient nature

honors no favorite;

         is fire burning comfort,

or simple destruction?

        

         Let’s all pretend

to live in fear

         because life goes on.

Or feel delight

         because life ends.

Anger floods you

         because you have power.

Anger fills hearts

         because power eludes us.

You curse an ugliness

         someone finds beautiful.

You are shocked when friends

         look on that

which is your beauty

         as ugly.

Let’s all pretend

         that which wears away bone

became dust,

         and you teach

that as permanent.

         That dust, scattered amongst stars,

across an entire universe

         where you tell your lies,

 you pretend is truth.

         It’s all pretend.