The Shadow Cast Is Long
The shadow cast is long,
He haunts my every step,
He echoes what’s in my heart…
He matches each footstep.
Oh, he may fade in time,
When I grow into my strength,
And your grief may rise, like mine,
And cast a sim’lar length.
And if and when he does,
I hope that he’s a faithful friend,
I hope your shadow loves,
For he can ease your grief to end.
The shadow cast is long,
And yet he is my friend in grief,
For he carries my grief along
And he gives me some relief.
The shadow cast is long,
But as the days progress,
The sun will peak at noon
And melt my shadow into dust.
The evening shadow grows,
But soon he goes to sleep,
And I am free again,
And may my spirit leap.
And with the morning sun,
The time he comes again—
He is familiar now,
And so subsides the pain.
Yes the shadow cast is long,
But the pain is easing now;
I can now outpace his stride.
Yes, the pain is easing now.
Now I cast my shadow off!
He no longer haunts my steps.
My stride’s no longer off,
My grief no longer he abets.
- Grief does indeed cast a long shadow, and can be very hard to shake. I am indebted to my friend Lori Hickling in http://myalzteam.com for inspiring this poem in a post in response to one of my blogs. She wrote that as a result of reading my post, “…I will hug my mother…I imagine that your grief is a constant shadow…”
You may have encountered grief in your life, or you may be undergoing the long shadow chase now. Feel free to comment. Use the form below.
CREDIT: Shadow reflection, clip art; Links don’t work
