I lost my shadow,

Emptiness has invaded my atmosphere,

It is dark, like a moonless night sky,

A white dwarf suspended in the universe.

 

I loved my shadow,

My protector who was always over my shoulder,

Following me wherever I went.

I never felt alone,

Never believed I was walking in the wrong direction,

Because it was always there - reassurance.

 

We who choose to have unique shadows,

Know they are not once-in-a-lifetime occurrences,

But the forever wish that we could have one shadow for eternity,

To abscond grief,

Would remove us from that which makes us human.

 

I whispered goodbye,

Which is more than others get.

In all my stubbornness, I wasn’t ready – I didn’t want to,

But I gave thanks,

Before releasing it from all responsibility,

My shadow went too soon.

 

I never want to be without a shadow,

No matter how much sorrow is to be endured.

Each one is rare,

And always cherished,

They are never replacements, just new chapters,

With healing nuances.

​

by Lauren Kucera

A part of me has died,

It’s why you see me now as I am – altered.

 

My change can restore a memory or provoke a looming fear,

But no matter how hard you try to remove or conceal me,

I will never grow back to what you so eagerly want to hold on to;

Youth,

Beauty,

Innocence.

 

I believed you would have considered me attractive,

Because I reflect the same colour as the moon,

Which you lovingly gaze at every night.

I do no harm,

I cause no illness,

Why do you dislike me so much?

 

I can only conclude that it all depends on how you, 

the individual, perceives me.

Do you think of age, nearing the end when I shine?

Or a sign that not all is lost,

and there’s still time to experience happiness?

 

I therefore am the symbol of death or life.

​

by Lauren Kucera