The Shadowland Poem by Richard Randolph

I traveled in the shadowland
where nothing's what it seems.
There I saw a poor young maid
trapped within a cage.


"Please, young sir, help me, " I heard her say.
"They say I steal hearts, but it isn't that way."
So that night I set her free.
Then we rode together until we reached the sea.
I still remember how the stars shone that night,
and how she held on so tight.


There in the shadowland,
nothing's what it seems.
Be careful if you go there.
It'll shatter all your dreams.


All through that night I held her close.
I swear she smelled just like a rose.
Then, sometime in the dark she took my hand.
She said she hoped one day I'd understand.
I remember wondering what was wrong.
Then, when I awoke, she was gone.


There in the shadowland,
nothing's what it seems.
That's where the spirits play
that haunt us in our dreams.


If I met her again, I know what I'd say,
I'd tell her I love her and beg her to stay.
But in my heart, I know that can't be.
She's a thing of the wild not meant for me.
But still sometimes I wonder why.
Was the love she gave me only a lie?


If you go to the shadowland,
where the spirits play,
be careful who you meet there,
they might steal your heart away.