Shadows

My hat's off to those of you who are stepping up to the Poetry Challenge for Poetry Month! One poem a day, how do you do it? I will continue to read your poems and thoroughly enjoy and wonder at your ability. Your poems have helped to inspire me. Here's my second offering for the month.


Shadows

Shadows engulf us
as we traipse along
No green can be seen
‘cept some clothes on the throng

So many are here
in these shadows so deep
Why do they come?
Why do they creep?

In this world of shadow
there are bits of bright light,
now and then round a bend
Eyes can hurt at the sight

The way becomes narrow
Less crowd persevere
Some quit with exhaustion,
others leave with a fear

The waters run deep now –
refreshing at start –
Here they can chill
Many shrink and depart

Continuing on
with our eyes we now see
what few others have seen
Now, contented are we

Our progress must end,
we must beat our retreat
‘fore the shadows will deepen
We must get to our meet

Returning through shadows
We stumble our way
Rocks interfere
With our search for the day

Encompassed in rock,
some that trip, some that scale
We cling to each other
We won’t shrink, we won’t fail

Then rounding a bend
the light fills our view
The wonders around us
seem so fresh, seem so new

Time warped in the shadows,
while there, sometimes long
But it passed in a flash,
like a few stanza song

Back where we began,
now laughing with glee
What an adventure it was
as we rest ‘neath a tree

It’s a tale we will tell
to our children and such
And, if we are lucky,
we’ll return with the bunch

To again venture forth
through this shadowy land
and witness their wonder
in this place that’s so grand

My inspiration - the Narrows, ZNP