In the Child’s Shadow
By John Herlihy

In the shadow of the child
Lies the innocence of the world.
The reflection follows like a panther,
Mimicking the body of little Samantha.
Ever watchful as a kind of protection,
Feathery and wistful in its projection.

The child still enjoys an angelic form;
In its attitude, raw imagination is shorn.
The court of kings genuflect on its knees;
Potentates will smile at their every tease.
They sleep when tired during the day;
The minutes and hours are in their pay.

Sweet childhood bears a burden of illusion,
Suggesting primitive gladness in profusion.
The willful child will always have its way,
Resorting to tantrums no matter what you say.
You beg and plead, your heart feeling on fire;
Nothing but pure instinct will steer its desire.

Oh, how the infant sleeps beatifically in repose,
Not a care in the world dares to disturb its doze.
What it dreams about no one can truly suppose;
The baby greets the morning in playful innocence.
It goes about the lifelong day in wakeful vigilance;
Everyone tends to their every need with diligence.

The arrival of puberty marks an abrupt transition;
A subtle change takes place in the child’s position.
The coming of desire and free will finally entail
An emergent corruption to inevitably prevail.
The days are long gone for cleaning their nappy,
When only one simple smile will make you happy.

When I step into the umbra of the child’s form,
I hope to capture a little of its primordial norm.
To wrap myself in the cloak of its angelic presence;
To recreate the saving grace of its divine essence.
Then as I take my leave of the light of its gaze,
I hope to absorb its innocence in my shadowy rays.