As I walk through the slumbering
Midnight city, I cast a single shadow
On the pavement ahead.

I find myself counting it, as though
There should be more. There should be
A second shadow next to mine.
When my hand reaches out, it should
Close around another hand
Instead of finding only the night air.

There should be a second pair of
Awestruck eyes counting the shadows
And the stars, and gazing at
The beautiful sky and the silent world
Over which it looks.

As I squeeze her absent hand
And imagine what I would say to her
If our shadows were adjacent,
I find myself remembering
Ancient memories I had forgotten
That I had forgotten, as if I kept them
Secret until I could share them with her.

The years of pain and suffering that
Kept me from seeing so much of the past
Are being washed away by her presence
In my life. I feel her cleansing my soul
Of all that is not me.

As I look once again at the lack
Of her shadow next to mine, I smile
Because she brings too much light of her own
Ever to cast a shadow.

07/13/2008

Posted on 07/15/2008
Copyright © 2024 Richard Vince