THE LIGHT OF SHADOWS

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JOHN HERLIHY

In the corner, shadows.

In the window, light.

In storm’s darkness, rainbows.

In earth’s shadow, night.

Shadows need no apology,

Shadows need no blame,

Shadows need make no excuses,

Shadows need feel no shame,

Shadows offer meaning,

Shadows a friend to the insecure,

Shadows offer solace,

Shadows befriend the impure.

Shadows owe their birth to light,

Shadows thrive in the darkness of night.

Shadows wait patiently in time,

My shadows belong only to me as mine.

Fight your own shadow,

Your shadow will fight with you.

Try to escape from your shadow,

Your shadow will your light pursue.

I shy not away from shadow’s kiss,

My shadows reconfirm all that I miss.

Shadows dark and shadows light,

I feel peace in the shadows of twilight.

The longest shadows depart at sunset,

The thinnest shadows emerge at dawn.

The greatest shadows fall from mountains,

The narrowest shadows in valleys born.

Night shadows smoking on the sea’s edge,

Dawn shadows weave their own pledge.

Others may exult when in the limelight,

My presence thrives only in the shadows.

We live in the light of our ways,

We die in the shadow of our days.

Lost in the shadows, we are but shade,

Found in light – the soul – of light made.

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(c) John Herlihy 19 January 2020