I Tire of Chasing Shadows

Fall 2004Fiction and Poetry

Oct 31

Written By

Locked inside the library of lightA shadow -Dancing on chapped handsFlickering against candle shone walls-beckons me to the window.

“Come near!” it cries,“Come near!” it cries,I stand and dust off-a curiosity too estranged to handle.

It dashes from my windowAnd I too-shattering shards of glass to the night-drowned field below.

My eyes blind in the night abyssAnd before me runs the shadow.

I chase.

My breath grows harsh and my legs strainjumping across fountains, I soak my feet.Dancing with multi-foliate roses, I lap midnight dew-red blood.

But as I draw nearIt glides away, shifting, slithering, and waveringalong each blade of moon kissed grass.

My steps are hers, my leaps are hers,And my chase - echoes of childish laughter.

I tire of chasing shadows.

Albert Hwang ’08 is a freshman in Canaday.

Debts