It Is Again That Time of Year,

When Howloween Draws Near

“To the Shadows,

We are the Monsters.”

          Plutarch

I have seen many a shadowy figure

In the city’s dark and creepy, alleyways

They are where I often find abandoned pets

And where I spotted Shadow Man, just the other day

There are numerous old stories and legends about him

Going back hundreds of years, to the Native Americans

My Apache spouse says that many a rancher has seen him

Still roaming the desolate high desert mesas, again and again

Many a young child has awakened startled in their bedroom

Only to see a terrifying dark shadow, moving along the floor

When I walk my dogs late at night, they often sense a presence

In the forest, or by the lakeshore, or even, right outside our door

There are as many theories about Shadow Man, as there are sightings

Some believe he is a spiritual being, sent to collect a dead person’s soul

Others believe he is part of an alien race, here on Earth, to observe man

Some believe he is a being trapped between life and death, centuries old

Whatever he may be, I would love to have a long conversation with him

But he never speaks, he appears in the shadows, and then he disappears

I often wonder if he is not allowed to speak to us, or if he does not want to

And sometimes now, I even wonder, if it is we human beings, that he fears

I have seen many a shadowy figure,

In the city’s dark and creepy, alleyways;

They are where I often find abandoned pets,

And where I spotted Shadow Man, just the other day.

©October 2013, Mr. Ed