"The Pretender" - Bahamas AI Art
©A. Derek Catalano
Don’t Be a Pretender
Don’t wear a mask that hides your face,
Don’t chase a dream that’s not your place.
The world is filled with shallow shows,
But truth will shine, and falsehood goes.
You dress in clothes that aren’t your own,
You speak in tongues you’ve never known.
You bend your back, you change your style,
To win a glance, to earn a smile.
But mirrors whisper when night is near,
“Who are you now? Who’s standing here?”
The costume fades, the paint will run,
Pretending ends when day is done.
A lie is heavy, a mask will crack,
The weight of falsehood bends your back.
You cannot live in someone’s skin,
And find the peace that dwells within.
Why climb a stage that isn’t yours,
Or guard a gate with borrowed doors?
Why mimic voices, fake a song,
When all along you’ve been so strong?
The world may tempt, the crowd may cheer,
But echoes fade, and truth is clear:
The rarest gift, the truest art,
Is living boldly from the heart.
So shed the chains of shallow show,
Let your own honest spirit glow.
Be not a shadow, be not a pawn,
Be who you are—yourself alone.
For masks may win a fleeting friend,
But falsehood breaks where truth won’t bend.
And when the play at last is through,
The world will see the realest you.
Don’t be a pretender—life’s too brief,
Your soul deserves its own belief.
So lift your head, stand firm, stand tall,
Be who you are—that’s best of all.
©A. Derek Catalano/ChatGPT
