Shadows by Emily Appel

Shadows

by Emily Appel

As children we play with them

We chase them, we try to capture them.

We hide in them and from them,

But they always remain.

Shadows are only apparent in the light

They cannot be found in the dark.

But they are not light

They are darkness betraying their source.

As we grow, shadows take on new meanings

They no longer hold our fascination

They become something to fear or to dread

We hide in the dark so as not to see them.

Yet those shadows are everywhere,

With new dimensions come new rules

Shadows no longer only live in the light

They can be found anywhere you look.

I found a new shadow today

A shadow that I could not escape

The shadow I saw broke my heart

It was the shadow of a man.

This shadow had his face

It had his arms and legs and feet

But it was nothing more than a shadow

Of the man he used to be.

Light did not create this shadow

Disease and illness had that honor

They had no respect for his goodness

They ignored the pain wrought by their deed.

How can a man become a shadow?

Why must it be so?

Ah, the innocence of youth

A time when shadows were simple.

Instead I must now say goodbye

To a man who has become a shadow.