Shadows
Shadows
We were told to save our shadows
For when we really need them.
What use, the experts said, throwing them
Into the dark, or on the ground?
So began an age when people
Stopped throwing their shadows.
Some doctors suggested this
Could be harmful, like holding it
In when you have to pee.
But gradually it was agreed
It was rude to throw them.
It began to be frowned upon,
Like smoking. Kids were allowed to
Throw their shadows while playing,
But not in school,
And some lovers asked their lovers
To throw their shadows over them,
But that was in the privacy
Of lamplit bedrooms.
And of course there were
The animals and the trees,
Which didn’t know better,
Though buildings were redesigned
So as not to cast them, and cars.
The effect of all this was that
Things seemed a little brighter —
Both candidates ran upon this,
As if it had been their idea —
But everyone knew that
It was only brighter because
The shadows were inside them.