by Kevin Vivers
Let’s Pretend Everything Will Be Fine
You welcome every sunrise, pastel Crayola shades spilling over the darkened horizon, the new day breaching the levee of night like a vanguard. You are excited to be awake. You are thankful to be alive. You greet the new day with the fire of passion and the panacea of hope. You are not drowning in a roiling sea of cortisol; the Sword of Damocles has finally been laid to rest.
Let’s pretend you don’t have to struggle.
The wolf at the door has gone home out of boredom, so you open the screen wide, bathing in the fresh morning air to a soundtrack of new life. The sun warms your face like an embrace; you do not owe anyone any money. Your rent is paid, your pantry stocked, your student loans fully forgiven and an actual savings account that gains interest faster than you can spend its contents.
Let’s pretend you have enough time.
You’ve made it to the gym. The laundry is done. You can choose to cook, or not; you can choose to socialize, or not. You can choose to vacuum, or watch television, or take a bath, or fuck, because the list of personal and professional and familial and societal demands upon you does not crush you under its weight like a yoke.
Let’s pretend you have adequate healthcare.
You see doctors preventatively; you can afford your medication. You know for a fact you don’t have cancer. You have the freedom to discuss your mental health and the luxury of accessible treatment. Never again will you utter the terms co-pay, deductible, or out-of-pocket maximum. You feel at home in your body; it functions perfectly, and you are grateful.
Let’s pretend you have faith in your democracy.
The flag you hung blows gently in the wind, the colors singing an anthem of empowerment and belonging and pride, a whole greater than the sum of its parts. You speak freely, basking in your inalienable human rights, all-encompassing trust in the Bill of Rights to protect you, the people, in forming a more perfect union. Your representatives represent you; your vote always counts.
Let’s pretend.
Let’s pretend you’re not tired. Let’s pretend you’re not scared. Let’s pretend there is an equal distribution of wealth. Let’s pretend there is enough joy in this world for everyone to have some. Let’s pretend life is calm. Let’s pretend we all matter.
Let’s pretend everything will be fine.
Shannon Frost Greenstein (She/They) resides near Philadelphia with her family and cats. She is the author of Through the Lens of Time (2026), a fiction collection with Thirty West Publishing, and These Are a Few of My Least Favorite Things (2022), a book of poetry from Really Serious Lit. Shannon is a former Ph.D. candidate in Continental Philosophy and a multi-time Pushcart Prize nominee. Her work has appeared in McSweeney’s, Pithead Chapel, Nimrod Journal, and elsewhere. Shannon’s passions include Friedrich Nietzsche, anti-racism, the Seven Summits, the Hamilton Soundtrack, and acquiring more cats. Find her at shannonfrostgreenstein.com. X and Bluesky: @shannonfrostgre; Insta: @zarathustra_speaks.
Kevin Vivers has been a photographer for many years, and is still amazed by what the world has to offer. https://kviversphotos.com/work Instagram – @viverskevin.