Shadows creep up behind me, slowly advancing,

Like a sharp clawed animal lurking toward me,

Darkness tiptoes toward me on pointy toes,

Blocking out the street light's yellow glow.

Past hurts, pains and fears,

People I wish I'd never known.

And memories of being splintered,

Like a broken branch in a high wind,

Are what those dark shapes are made of.

Darkness pursues my retreating back,

Threatening my security and peace,

Chasing my pulse up to speed with its low growl,

My knees falter and my hands grow moist.

I can't outrun the past, and neither can you,

It'll catch you and make you stumble.

It'll reach out long fingers toward you,

Untie your shoe laces so they make you trip,

Jerk your hair with a cruel grasp,

And snag you in the back like a fish hook.

The hurts and wrongs that were done to us,

Will never lose their bite, sting or sharpness,

Until we face them head on,

Until we put up our hand at their accusing faces,

And force them to slink back into years gone by.

We shouldn't try to outrun shadows of the past,

No matter how frightened we are,

We need to turn around and shine a light,

Right in the eyes of the hurt done to us,

To flash a beam of sun at the dark memories,

And they'll flee because they can't live in the light.

We shouldn't let fingers of the past get near us,

If we do, they'll grasp us round the neck,

And we'll get choked by their strength,

We'll suffocate, the pain will steal our breath.

It feels almost impossible sometimes,

To not run away from the shadows,

It goes against human nature to stop, turn around,

And face the pain that's never been healed,

But till we do, we'll always be pursued and afraid,

We'll always dread the darkness,

And tremble when the owl calls the night to come.

Peace and light can't live where darkness is,

It's our choice, to live in the sun,

Or let the shadows surround us.

We can chose to run away from the past,

Or we can face it, drive it away,

And peer into the light

-Angela R. Winkeler