What He Pretends

What He Pretends
by John Bennett
He pretends life hasn’t been an avalanche of poor choices or–worse yet–ruled by the paralysis of indecision.
He pretends he’s preparing to rectify this, pretends that all he does isn’t a shadow of what it could have been.
He pretends it’s not too late to go back and start over.
He keeps showing up for auditions but leaves by the back door when his name is called.
He rides the bus home and pretends his fellow passengers sense what he could have been.