Shadows Poem by Nick Judt

I often wonder about the shadows
That follow us wherever we go
They appear when the light is burning brightest.
And fade when the sun has ceased to shine.

When we are born,
Our shadow leaps forth.
And it follows us
Till our heart ceases to beat.
Sometimes in life,
It is all that we have.
Often, it seems steady,
A friend one can lean on,
But when we trip and fall,
It does not catch our form.
It lets us go on
Till we smash to the ground.

When a man laughs,
His shadow does to
Silhouetting his happy form.
When a man cries
His shadow does to,
Reflecting his sadness
And the tears like rain.
When a man is asleep,
And his mind dreams musically,
Our shadows are gone.
They cease to exist
As long as we sleep
For a shadow cannot be
When we are dreaming good dreams.
Can it?

I often wonder about the shadows
That follow us wherever we go
They appear when the light is burning brightest.
And fade when the sun has ceased to shine.