My shadow and I







My shadow and I were running away

From each other



The sun would bring us together

And it would also push us apart



Sometimes I would end up shorter

And sometimes my shadow



If I spoke,

If I laughed

If I hummed

He was silent



When my heart pounded

My arteries pulsed

His heart did not beat

His arteries did not pulse



Many times I walked behind him

Many times he walked behind me

And sometimes by my side



I didn't truly know him, nor did he know me

And when I fell in love

My shadow would run away from me

It wanted to walk behind my love



But I would be quicker

My shadow would appear by my side

And later in front of me

It wanted to tell me that my back was to the sun

I used to tell him

My sun is different



Later I was afraid of it

I was afraid it would expose

The secrets of my heart

My heart's secrets were love and devotion





People were drowned in lust

In deceit

They did not care for love or faithfulness

These were commodities nobody bought

And if anyone possessed them

He would be laughed at



They would evict him and his shadow

From the garden

They would take his flowers away

And pluck away their petals on dust



Their verdict would be a life in hell

For his crime of taking in esteem

Love and devotion

And the longings of his heart



At a time like that, my shadow would burn with wrath

It would become shorter and then longer

It would run away from the sun

It would seek a shadow to melt in



And in the dark shadow

It would pull me in

And take me in its arms

And my shadow and I would become one

And would know each other for the very first time