Ode to the Shadow | Elvis Munyensanga

O my shadow:
Dark and uninviting,
O lifelong companion:
When the sun is at its highest
And me at my lowest,
There you are cast at your longest
As if ready to swallow me.

I frequently relinquish control,
Letting my life be led by others
And like the wind
I am blown whichever way
Desiring only to live without a bother.
So every time I look down at you
I wonder–
My shadow, do you see this and seethe?

As I live in the present
But stuck in the past,
Allowing my misdeeds
To crumble my future;
Time goes on and
I feel a sort of pain,
One filled with longing.

My shadow,
You always watch me
And when I fall short,
I notice you the most
For when I am down
I picture you
Leaping off the ground
And taking my place.

Elvis Munyensanga is an aspiring Rwandan musician, writer, and poet.