Fading Shadows
Shadows….soft, rarely distinctly detailed or crisply defined. They catch an outline enough to identify a silhouette, but never a lot of detail, at least not like the light. Shadows speak softly, in demure tones, whispering to each other, and to you too if you’ll listen. They try not to, but even the best shadows somewhat envy the light, after all the light has weight and shadows do not. There is no such thing as “the weight of shadows”, just like there is no such thing as a dark meter, only a light meter, because light has weight and shadows do not. Shadows are painfully aware they are measured in the sense of an absence of light, which is why they simultaneously love and envy the light. They are defined by the light and they so wish they had their own definition and independence. But, in the long run, they just weren’t made that way when God gave every living creature a faint companion to go with them everywhere. They’re really no trouble, and if anything, they are the constant companion of everything which stands in the light…they are the most subtle of confirmations that we are here and are real. What would you think of something which casts no shadow in day light?
Imagine as the sun comes up, the shadows, who have possessed the night must, with every rising sun, move their habitation to a new location. As the evening increases, they become settled in, having found lodging, possessing the land so to speak, and have become comfortable in their soon fading place. At the fading away of day, they rise up and set up living arrangements, prepare shadow meals, solving shadow problems, discuss shadow news in shades of grey scale about shadow governments and shady politics. Shadows enjoy singing with their dim voices in penumbric harmonies. It is soft like their edges, always prone to a little down turn in tune and tone, almost like a slight sigh and moan. It is the sound of shadows as they creep down a sleepy street when the sun goes down, peeping at us from behind the trees, cast from children playing in the evening, or from the neighbor’s cat which sits on a step looking bored, waiting for something to happen. Healthy shadows take nurturing and care because some shadows are not healthy in that they are “thin shadows”, and others are more robust being “deep shadows”. Then, the sun starts rising and they must vacate their present situation and move to other places. Imagine the mumbling and complaining shadows go through every rising new day.
Shadows never seem to understand that they are defined by the bright or fading light, it is a wisdom which always seems to escape their shaded mind. They occasionally celebrate themselves because there are creatures which God created who prefer to live in the “company of shadows”, because in His mercy, not even shadows are left friendless and alone.
Some shadows are not kind when people slander one another. As you know the entire idea of slander is to “cast shadows” on others, or, cause them to be seen in a less than kind light, to darken their faces with suspicion, or purposely obstruct clear light in order to cast a shadow on their character, so to speak. Shadows moan at their employment in such a situation, it is a scenario that is the invention of people possessing a twist on the light, and the poor shadow, who wants to live in peace, must comply where ever there are obstacles blocking the light. And everyone knows any time something or someone obscures the path of light, a shadow is required to subtly point out that something is in the way of clarity.
wcw