He saw the shadow on the wall
many years ago
It was long and tall
Looming over his bed
But when he mentioned it
to his mom and dad
They said it was all in his head
So he took their word as children do
And went his merry way
He wasn’t certain through and through
But over time he did forget
about that shadow strange
And could laugh at other’s stories
without a smidgeon of regret
Until the day the shadow play
graced his grownup world
Dark and menacing at the end of day
With fanged smile and cape unfurled
Holding him hostage with the intention
of stealing his soul by bloodletting
and other things he couldn’t mention
Yes, he went willingly into the night
As he watched his life slip away
Becoming a tiny speck of light
There was no cursing or flailing about
It was painless from the start
He simply let the shadow steal
His vision and his heart
The next morning was almost the same
as all the days before
He could not give the change a name
as he walked out the door
heading down a street thus lined
with hordes of soulless people
whose lives the shadow had defined.
Children understand
Dogs may, too
That the shadows of the undead
are real and full of dread
And what they saw upon their wall
was never in their heads at all.
© Teresa Roberts
Excerpt from the book Poetic Shadows
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Who are you? Are you a brave knight? A warrior brandishing your sword, ready for battle. Are you a dreamer? Away with the fairies, losing count of fireflies whilst searching for Neverland. A goth? Who feels right at home with the monsters hiding under the bed, who loves to dance a dervish with the devil on the stroke of midnight. Or perhaps you are a dragon-slayer? Or a soul snatcher? Basking in the heat of an eternal flame. Or maybe you’re a witch? Hiding deep in the woods, practicing dark arts beneath the light of a full moon.
L.J. Diaz, Author of Catching Snowflakes
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Categories: Anthology
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