Shadow Poem by Craig Moses Uche

I am a light vessel when filled
Takes the shape of its content
My direction is determined by the flow of the wind
I feel all its rigour
For i am not a man but a shadow of a man
And he is my content and my master.

He says trot and i trot
Sit and i sit
Move and i move, Break and i break
All i do even though i do not want to
For only in darkness i'm i free to flaunt my desires
And when light walks bye i resume my service.

All the things he does that i disaprove
But we both take humble pie
All the corruption and insincerity
All the kill all the steal
All the bill all the deal
I wish i was his mirror image
At least then he could see my pain, Master!
You cannot understand the hour glass until you pass through it.

Born a slave deprived of life's good pleasure
He never gives me a gesture that i should reply
Not a smile, not a frown
Not even a kiss goodbye on his day of ashes

Destined to die an after death I am there in birth, death and afterwards
Even when he embraces earth i am with him I am his lifetyime companion
And he does not know
Instead he desires another

No mere man can understand my pain
And as the Land and Ocean gives the Earth its identity so do i give man. (Lokoja, Kogi state Nigeria 11 Aug.2011)