The Shadow of You
Sitting here thinking,
drinking my Black and Tan
contemplating
the stormy motion I see in shadows
*****
Yes, it’s dark in there
but, occasionally you can see
different shades of black
mixing with greys
and an undercurrent of blue.
Sometimes, usually when you
least expect it,
a swirling white
(more a dirty white
but it’s lighter than grey)
infuses its movement
in the midst of shadow
making it spin wildly.
And an unruly midnight Moon
beckons briefly within these darker hues.
Its swirl is enticing,
entwining seductively
within the greys and blacks
calling me to enter.
Pulling me like temptation;
like moist needy lips
kissing me into oblivion,
into forever shadow.
*****
I don’t mind, honest.
In fact, I am willing, but…
It is not your shadows I fear.
I love the way your greys swirl;
the way the sway of your hips
dances enticingly with the music of you.
I could live here,
listening forever.
*****
No, it’s my shadows that I fear.
They swirl with storms of black
and I have no control.
They have ancient origins;
they contain seeds that can only
flower in those dark spaces
found between well meaning words
that today finds only loneliness.
My shadows know all too well
the ugliness of traditions,
the hopelessness of poverty,
the emptiness of love.
These shadows have no glimmer of light,
just the motion
of darker shades of night.
*****
And yet…
and yet I cannot help but see
the motion of you inside shadows;
see you write your words;
your pen creating a kaleidoscope of greys.
How you weave spaces and allow
for someone to enter your dance;
to lay their head upon your breast
and hear the music of your beating heart.
And yet….
~~redzone 4.26.08
Oh my…
The angst and longing, the love and desire, the sadness and resignation, and the way you used colors to convey feelings….breathtaking.
And I really enjoyed the line “your pen creating a kaleidoscope of greys,” it defines how she holds your anguish in her hands.
My friend, this was a delight to read.
Someone told me that to describe the feelings within shadow was a testament to writing good poetry. I don’t know about that, but I admit, I love this poem, the flow of it, and that you saw and felt it is warmly appreciated. I knew an artist friend who drew scenes in pencil. She had one piece, a landscape, done in black pencil that I swear when you looked at it deeply, you could see blue streaks flow in it. Some of that experience of seeing this piece of art is what I tried to capture in this poem and where that line: “…kaleidoscope of greys” came from.
Mary, thank you, your visits and comments mean a lot to me.
My pleasure, Red. Truly.
Powerful work. I felt this to the core of me.
Thomas, thank you. Your presents is muchly appreciated
This is a very beautiful work, my friend. I love your, “unruly midnight moon,” and there are so many other lines that touched me deeply; if I tried to mention them here I might as well write every line.
FlatDaddy, it thrills me that you were touched by this poem. You might be surprised to know that unruly moon gets really rambunctious at midnight. Then again, we are the same age, so you probably know all about unruly moons. At any rate I truly welcome your visit and thanks for a great comment (and message).