My Shadow Walks Beside Me ~ Poetry From a Word Prompt

John is a poet and short fiction writer who enjoys collaborating on stories with other writers, and partaking in challenges.

Inspiration and Weekly Word Prompt 22: Shadows

The poem: My Shadow Walks Beside Me was written in response to the word prompt "Shadows" from: "Word Prompts Help Creativity ~Week 22" by Brenda Arledge.

Once again Brenda has provided us with a wonderful prompt, and as usual, I had to write a response. The best part of these challenges by Brenda is reading all the other wonderful poetry, short stories etc that the words inspire.

I also included a story I wrote for a children's book, and a link to another article I wrote for Halloween. Both have "shadows" as a theme.

by Doe Zantamata

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My Shadow Walks Beside Me

My shadow walks beside me,

He is my closest friend.

Together in sunshine and light,

Our connection never ends.

My shadow rests when I’m asleep,

When I turn out the lights.

But, it’s there to greet me when I wake,

And the dark has passed with night.

Some people fear the shadows,

Thinking evil lurks within,

But I embrace my grey-scale friend

And the confidence he brings.

Even when I face the Sun

And my shadow falls behind,

It shows I am worth following,

And boosts my state of mind.

It takes both light and shadow

To perform the dance of love.

One compliments the other

Like a hand placed in a glove.

So, don’t avoid the shadows,

They won’t cause you to fall.

Your shadow won’t be crooked

If you walk straight and tall.

The Shadow Wolf ~ a Patrick the Piglet Story

All the farmyard was excited

For tonight was Halloween.

Most animals don’t celebrate,

So this was a rare scene.

Patrick the Piglet loved costumes,

And especially Halloween.

He’ll dress up as a ghost and hide,

And shout, “BOO!” when he’s seen.

Most are frightened of the dark

And things they cannot see,

But Patrick fears the shadows,

And echoes make him pee.

For in the shadows lurks a fiend

Not like you’ve seen before.

He’ll strike when least expected,

You’ll not know what’s in store.

When Patrick heard the stories,

From his friend Cammy the calf,

About a scary Shadow Wolf,

He gave a nervous laugh.

Shadow Wolf has an eerie voice

A little like a howl.

He echoes sounds of those he stalks,

And would even scare the owl.

In fact, the dark keeps him at bay,

It’s the light that gives him life,

For he exists in shadows

And he wields a butcher’s knife.

Animals gathered in the barn,

All dressed up for the night,

And many shadows could be seen

For the barn’s light was so bright.

Patrick tried to face the light,

It was never at his back,

So the monster couldn’t seize him

And stuff him in his sack.

The barn was also very big

And perfect for echoes.

This made poor Patrick nervous,

But he had nowhere else to go.

Patrick counted everyone,

They numbered thirty-three.

But Cammy calf wasn’t there,

At least, not that he could see.

Patrick hid behind some hay,

Then jumped out and yelled, “BOO!”

A pair of ducks got a scare

And flew around the room.

A shadow suddenly appeared

Upon the barn’s wide floor.

It looked like a giant wolf with fangs-

All the creatures stared in awe.

Patrick trembled, terrified,

And said, “The Shadow Wolf is here!”

Then came the echo, “BOO, BOO, BOO!”

And most animals fled in fear.

But when the piglet turned to run

He saw in the light’s bright glow,

Cammy calf standing in the loft

Waving to and fro.

The Shadow Wolf was just a myth.

Cammy calf had made it up

To scare Patrick and his other friends,

Even Bruce the sheepdog pup.

So, Patrick was no longer scared

Of shadows or echoes.

He’d make Cammy calf sorry

She put on such a show.

Patrick climbed up to the loft,

Behind where Cammy stood,

Then suddenly he shouted, “BOO!”

As loudly as he could.

Cammy jumped up in the air,

And let out a frightened, “MOOOOO!”

Patrick laughed, “You’re a sneaky calf.

You deserved a good scare too.”

Another Poem Related to Shadows

Below is a link to another poem that I wrote previously for Halloween. and was also inspired by the subject "shadows."

• "Shadowheart" (a Halloween Poem) and some Halloween ...
  This article includes an original poem I wrote about Halloween as well as some Halloween history and some information about how the holiday is celebrated in Australia.

© 2021 John Hansen