I Have Seen The Old Pretend Poem by Shalom Freedman

I have seen the old pretend
That they are still part of the game
To delude themselves
With the work they are still doing
Or just about to do
I have seen the old pretend
That they are still parts of the world
That no longer knows or sees them
Though it may in some cases remember them
I have seen the old pretend
That what they do and they themselves
Still mean something
As I write I pretend my words mean something
And somehow somewhere someone is listening
Who nods their head at being understood