Crafting an Illusion: A Game of Pretend

Heather has a Bachelor's Degree in English from Moravian College and has been freelance writing for more than 12 years.

Creating a metaphorical avatar to play the game of life

Sounded ridiculous, but it was strangely true to believe

Putting on the right outfit and styling your hair just right

To make a good impression on a first date or first day of work

At a new job that you started after the last one went nowhere

Everyone worked doubly hard to make a stellar first mark

Wanted to be known for the right things; instead of for the wrong ones

Hard to believe that adults still play random flights of pretend

Sad fact of the matter was it was rather and blisteringly true

Grown-ups like to act the part of someone better

Appear more interesting than they actually are

To generate buzz or more likes on their internet accounts

Seemed silly to put on so many airs to just gain approval

Something only children do to please their parents

Gain new friends after they move to a new town

Starting at a new school as a lamb headed for slaughter

Okay, not quite so terrifying, but it feels like it to a kid

Not knowing a single soul in the whole building is very scary

Finding common ground with anyone who didn't look frightening

As if they could break them in half with a single crack or blow

That fear never goes away when you become an adult

Searching to find friends to rely on at work and socially

An endless journey that disturbingly never gets old

Lucky, when you do find your core group of people to hang out with

Keep them close because these are the people who truly get you

No need to put on airs to impress them because that stuff doesn't matter

They somehow still would hang out with you no matter what

Relationships, on the other hand, a more much daunting task

Finding someone you're attracted to and can be honest with

Not many prefer blunt honesty, so you sometimes have to hide

Certain truths from your partners to keep a level of calm domesticity

If you're able to be truthful with your loved ones, congratulations

That's a rare feat that a lot of people can't seem to maintain

A lot of people can't handle that level of honesty on a daily basis

Most men shirk away from their girlfriends letting it all hang out

Even though it proved that their women trusted them implicitly

More than half the time; their male counterparts couldn't return

That same sentiment, which led to a lot of broken hearts

Careful balancing act between fact and tailored fiction

Best way to keep things the status quo in a relationship

Wasn't perfect by any means, just kept things going as they were

Nothing more, nothing less; that was all anyone wanted out of life

Enough to stay afloat until something stronger came along.