Shadows On The Wall Poem by Samah Khan

I envy you, shadow,
You are my counterpart and yet I feel like we are rivals
I feel like life is a contest of wits
And the name of the game is survival
Maybe I don’t know where to draw the line
And in that game, I am losing
I am losing
And in that game I can see I’m losing
But you seem fine all the time

I envy you, shadow,
You come and go as you please
And though it takes two to play this game
You always hide, and I always seek
Maybe I don’t stop to think enough
And I don’t get the things I ask for
I don’t get the things I ask for
And I can see I don’t get the things I ask for
But you seem fine when the going gets tough

I envy you, shadow,
You can stand tall when there is little light
When the morning does you no favours
And the afternoon steals your height
Maybe I’m jealous that you follow me around
But get to be an outsider who’s watching my every step
You never try to pick me up when I fall down
You don’t need to breathe when I lose my breath
And when I don’t want to be alive
And am troubled by pain and fear
You stalk me like a laughing opponent
But when I leave, you disappear
And when I don’t want to be alive
And my system is blocked by frost
You seem warm with smiles of taunt
And though in the dark I am still within myself
You are all but lost