We all dwell on the edge of shadows, even when we get together to share the brightest sunshine on the warmest day on the friendliest beach in the Keweenaw. The cool, somber shadows of the verdant forest loom near, drawing boundaries for our brilliant sun-lit fields and promising respite from the glare. It can sometimes be easier to see the path in the shade, yet the darkness often hides dangers which we must recognize to avoid a stumble or a fall.The shadows are always darkest when the sun is in your eyes, and it's usually when walking into the sun that I trip over the raised edge of the winter-heaved concrete sidewalk, or the errant tree-root searching for a non-paved patch of earth. There are always shadows and they seem always to be inhabited. From time to time, I dwell there myself -- whether seeking relief from the too bright and too hot sunlight, or just trying to stay out of the searchlights when life is seeking another target for interesting events.
Most people seek to spend at least some of their time in the sunshine of friendship and camaraderie with their fellow travelers on Earth. Some of their time will be spent crossing patches of shadow and traveling in the dark, while seeking the light. However, there are shadow dwellers who never seem to come out of the darkness, whose life is so focused inwards they cannot, without help, move from the twilight to the daylight. They can, perhaps, no longer see the path out of the darkness, or they fear getting lost on the way.
Perhaps, it is a worthy goal to occasionally reach into the shadows and help a darkened soul find the light of life and life in the light.
Mick
Ever-present Shadows
Although life is such a marvelous gift,
Each day sings brightly enough, it must lift
The spirits of even the dreariest,
And dry the sorrows of the teariest
Hiding among the throngs born of Adam.
For those whose smoothest path is macadam,
Instead of finding the journey a thrill,
They complain their paths are always uphill.
Focused inward, they missed the bright meadows,
And somehow ended darkly, in shadows.
They wander and moan in the dim half-light,
And stare from the darkness, just out of sight,
Silent eyes pleading for help and release
From shadows eternal - dark without cease...
Mick McKellar
July 2007
