The Ballad of the Shadow

A relic, from a bygone era when I knew how to rhyme.

ride the wind to fear’s demise
hold on tight and close your eyes
feel the clouds traverse the skies
like you’ll know nothing beyond
seas of time in breaths of air;
waves of guilt in every stare;
the most beautiful nightmare
that love has ever spawned

on my window, a dove sits still
motionless to guise the chill
it waits and watches us until
silence devolves into talk
but before a whole sentence is made
the bird takes flight into the shade
and as we start to feel betrayed
it beckons us to walk

an inch, a foot, a yard, a mile
a word, a breeze, a kiss, a smile
crickets chirping all the while
a whole world that we transcend
in this moment, i could die
i hope i do, ere it goes by
i swear to god i don’t know why
such beauty has to end

of course i fail, and fail, and fail
our souls grow cold and weak and frail
i sense the black sky going pale
with the futures that we shaped
though normally a welcome sight
it separates our worlds tonight
so i forsake the vicious light
that cannot be escaped

and what comes next but rising sun
to burn us both with dreams undone
and it’s true that we can’t hide or run
from the firestorm of dawn
gather your thoughts and all your things
for you know well what morning brings
the withering of both our wings
and the taste of love withdrawn

and so it goes, and so it goes
pages turn as the wind blows
and is there hope for some repose
when our dearest must depart?
i cry softly as i watch her leave
struggling harder to believe
in such a god who could conceive
this way to crush my heart

too much now is left unsaid
too much hope and love is dead
lots occupied by fear instead
Jill won’t come tumbling after
so further down this rabbit hole
i fall until i’ve lost control
of the sanctity of my own soul
and then i hear the laughter

distant at first, but not for long
a moment later, far too strong
for me to notice what is wrong
with the sound that’s come to find me
things are never what they seem
especially in thought or dream
and this cackling, awful scream
is now only just behind me

i’m scared to turn and look to see
the laughing, frightening, swift banshee
whose unforeseen identity
would have gone happily unknown
but with some foreign, forceful hand
i’m spun to face the firebrand
and it scares me more to understand
that i am all alone

oh god, please let this all be fake
oh god, please shake me till i wake
there must have been some sick mistake
i don’t deserve this pain
but it’s at this point i realize
the truth imprisoned by the lies:
one too many long goodbyes
has driven me insane

so here i wait for returning love
in harmony with lack thereof
ripping feathers from this dove
that once perched upon my window
it tore my life and world in two
and dug this grave i stepped into
that i might always listen to
the ballad of the shadow.

Reviews

[Matthew Kult]

Excellent write and read. It has a strong classic style that i cherish. Flows perfectly and continuesly with fantastic imagery.

A ballad to shadows, as shadows consume our souls, and our souls are what drive us to be. It seems as if you have "lost" something within yourself, self confidence? Don't try too hard, just let it come naturally. It will.

Regards,

Matthew

[Lilly Negoi]

"oh god, please let this all be fake
oh god, please shake me till i wake
there must have been some sick mistake
i don’t deserve this pain" - these lines reminded me of Gethsemane :)

[SpokenWord]

So many live in the shadow of past love afraid to spread their wings to love again. Losing love can feel like losing the will to live once you have loved so deeply and lost it so easily. I like the feeling of loss in this one, the ache and regret or wondering why did it have to pass so. Excellent write and flow.

[Gypsie]

Classic, beautifully painful... your choices of words drive the reader(at least me) on though the poem. Wonderful read.

[Robin]

"an inch, a foot, a yard, a mile
a word, a breeze, a kiss, a smile
crickets chirping all the while
a whole world that we transcend
in this moment, i could die
i hope i do, ere it goes by
i swear to god i don’t know why
such beauty has to end"


you never cease to amaze with your unique presentation of thoughts that reach deep into the reader