Pretending

Pretending He was good at pretending He manipulated to get his way She was hopelessly in love with him Until she started to see through The lies, the schemes, the shady deeds He was all about money, all about the green Yet because her pockets were empty He couldn’t take anything from her So he turned her into a Belle captured in his domain He did what he could to keep her away from the world To combat him and his pretending She decided to reflect the energy he was sharing For when she started to treat him like he treated her That is when his anger began to fly He expected her to weep, to cry, to plead as he told her goodbye Now he sits, his glass of Fireball nearly forgotten Wondering how she had gotten so strong Wondering how she had learned to see him for what he was He longs for something that he can never make right, nor can he ever escape As even when he drives through town, he sees her and what once was Now he searches for her in everyone he meets Yet he will never find what he pretended not to care about And wonders why he can’t stop pretending.