Shadow

Shadow I am a brother to the night Standing silently among other creatures I descend from a pack of proud and prominent warriors Who grip firmly to the reins of their spirit And through thick and thin Refuse to recede or give in To the others I am but a shadow A humble guardian out of sight While others shine bright with their golden manes Or scavenge the earth like gluttonous leeches I sit behind Helping those in the night Which cry out and beseeches I’ve never been one to hold many companions Not by choice, but of reasons unknown Maybe some fear the black fur I have shown Maybe they cannot see the seeds I have sown Or maybe some cannot hear the pain in the howls I moan All I know is that in the night I stride alone Ever so often, I will find a pack Conjured from misfits and species with a special lack None like me. Yet all too similar. With my pack we rush through the trees Hunting down others whom evil breeds Not to claim or maim, but for their pain to ease I seek not to hurt, though my body bears scars My eye, my rib, my heart This world does not deny. All is fair game in this life of mine But I carry on. My claws did deep into the soil of the Earth As I prod through the forest, the sun is my hearth I am but a sad loner; a shadow in the corner Some days I wonder if I am beast or man But when I’m in a group I remember. And my true self shines