Pretending
by Odin Roark

Priming years

Pulpit dogma from lips
Caked of sanguine ploys
Rewards of blessings
Punishments of fire

Ignorance years

Media’s pickpocketing
Wanna-be adults
Working the cravings
Offering eye candy as nutrition
Relegating brains to starvation

Observing years

The agony of hunger
The drool-laden faces
Staring through pizzeria windows
Suffering fun-filled dough throwing
Like a cruel Pavlovian test

Near-death years

Central Park’s homeless
Residing atop benches darkly
Their newspaper blankets
Tucked tight around their dreams
Dancing cheek to cheek

Nightmare years

Variant dogged dreams
Reminding God’s promises
Media’s trolling for vicarious submissions
Hunger’s reality
Security’s vagrancy

Epiphany years

Prized silver spoon success
Tarnishing beneath palm tree splendor
Contemplating manicured beachfront property
Awaiting the next wave
At last craving one big enough
To wash pretension away.