I Tire of Chasing Shadows
Locked inside the library of light
A shadow -
Dancing on chapped hands
Flickering against candle shone walls
-beckons me to the window.
"Come near!" it cries,
"Come near!" it cries,
I stand and dust off-
a curiosity too estranged to handle.
It dashes from my window
And I too-
shattering shards of glass to the night drown field below.
My eyes blind in the night abyss
And before me runs the shadow.
I chase.
My breath grows harsh and my legs strain
jumping across fountains, I soak my feet.
Dancing with multi-foliate roses, I lap midnight dew
-red blood.
But as I draw near
It glides away, shifting, slithering, and wavering
along each blade of moon kissed grass.
My steps are hers, my leaps are hers,
And my chase - echoes of childish laughter.
I tire of chasing shadows.
- by Albert Hwang, '08