Of Shadows

There are those that fell, upon the fruit Placed with purpose, so that I might sketch In the confines of a classroom, Where I daydreamed of Monet and Picasso... I learned the craft of creating shadows To bring depth, and life, to that which stood still Charcoal swipes of the hand And nightfall offers the veil of shadows Like dancers before the sultan' s stare Hidden in plain sight, protected by the dark Free to set inhibition to the velvet onyx air I called her 'Shadow', as a child The one who drew my memories back I saw, in her, much of my own delights As they seemingly dashed away with unnoticed aging By noon, the shadow small, and strewn Beneath our travelling steps... It grew like beachgrass, long and leaning As our afternoons raced towards the finish line She stretched her wings from well beyond our shadows, holding hands, And now, casts one, alone, but brave True, I've witnessed many a shadowed smile The lovers who longed to lure me to promised escape The shy and shaggy homeless man, who asked for little, But praise for his harmonica tune... A passing stranger, on the street, Who seemed to look right through me They fall about me, everywhere Some vague, but there, nonetheless... Others call me to their comfort When I alone, seek them out... They have become friends, over the years I fear them not... For they harbor safe, what secrets I tell myself There, in the shadows