Shadow life
Living through days of darkness that never end,
Ambling through a long tunnel towards the light,
The repetition and claustrophobic arches pass by,
The same restricted view unchanging day and night.
You can feel your shadow life slipping away slowly,
Unseen by anyone who can share a cheery greeting,
The stale air around you on this lone one way journey,
The voices calling you on are just echoes your meeting.
You travel under the radar of everyone else’s attention,
Keeping track of your daily steps like a metronome,
Hiding your footsteps of existence in the shadowy gloom,
Covered up inside your enclosed life at your home.
Not guided by the stars or attracted by the sun’s heat,
Your sheltered existence fenced off for protection,
Never looking over the parapet in fear of stray bullets,
Watching Cupid’s arrows pass looking for affection.
Safety in numbers of one or below is your moto in life,
The only need in your shadow life is those steps,
Towards the exit from this journey through existence,
And the end of this tunnel among life’s great depths.
