pretend

we like to pretend like
there's no tomorrow
no work or school to trudge to
no bus to catch
no exams to bomb
like no one's coming early in the morning
we like to pretend until neither of us can breathe
until we're wheezing
compliments of
a mutual addiction to nicotine
until we can't see
until the only option left is sleep
we like to pretend
like there's no twin cities
no twelve hour bus ride
no fashion design
looming over and sliding in between
like there's no static
from outside sources
no advice or admonitions
no road blocks to run into
no open graves to fall into
until we can't breathe
utnil all we can do
is hold onto our respective skins
and pray for the sun to stay down
and you
kissed me like you were starving
like you'd never breathed until
that second
and you did it like i was made of glass
but i can be steel for you
and all we can do is
kick around the
what ifs
like they were
the chunks of ice and snow
melted away last week
when the rain came
and we all laughed and danced
but we just like
to pretend.