My shadow snatched away my bright laugh,
Wanting salt tears for its sweet foodstuff's bitter half.
I shed the ailing piece of my heart in a toxic stream
So it flew away, left me breathing deep as in a dream.
I am air-light, bubbling triumph sends me arcing toward the sky
Where my silent shadow waits to knock me down before I can fly.
I'm so sick of this stupid shadow. It follows me everywhere, hidden or beaten back for the moment but never gone. It has all my life, and it will continue to do so until I am eighteen. It's a dark curse, a frightful one, and almost definitely where my colorful magic– this one powerful gift with writing– originates. I suppose it made me who I am, but the deep scars it's left will never fade. They'll be shiny scars, but right now they're so painful.
Does anyone else have a shadow like mine? I'd love to hear thoughts on this topic.
