Shadows
By ZT
We used to chase the moon so we could play around with stars
until the sun stole all the fun, we were the dark, some of
us fade away, we only come to play for a bit…
When shadows dance with shadows, yeah, shadows dance
with shadows…
Like dim pieces of light, we were made to fight, to
shine and everything seem so dismal in this life, and other
spark across the sky just had to die, like a tear fallen
from eyes and then the shine is wiped away…
Then shadows dance with shadows…Yes, shadows
Dance with shadows……
When love makers seem intimate, others, melancholy
sentiments, a wish for bliss with knowledge that all of this
is so quickly lived. Then endings are inevitable…See, shadows
dance with shadows. Yeah, shadows dance with shadows.
If all the world’s a stage, why does this seem so real. The life
we lived, the way we feel, the devils play to make their deals
but our hearts have been sealed before… Cause shadows
dance with shadows… Tomorrow’s never promised. How do we
die? How do they remember us? How do they live after
us? And… where do we go from there?…..
cause shadows…Dance…With shadows…
Rest in peace J.W., The B boy Niko, R.C.H AKA
Sincere and others I can’t name here. I pray for
y’all’s forgiveness from above…Insha Allah
33 Comments
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Hi ZT. I really enjoyed reading your poem and can tell that you have a gift for writing. I think you included some great imagery and metaphors, and I especially liked the line “If all the world’s a stage, then why does this seem so real.” I hope you are able to continue writing and creating poetry. If you’re going through anything difficult, know that you are strong and will get through it.
ZT,
You’re absolutely right–tomorrow is not promised, the choices we make today matter! Your poem tells a story of loss, but there’s a lot of beauty in this life as well. Rest in Peace to all those you mentioned in your beautiful poem. Stay strong, ZT!
Mona
This poem invokes feelings of nostalgia with lost loved ones, whose interactions were most vibrant in the darkness of night. I like the repetition of shadows dance with shadows, it almost feels like the main characters of this poem are outcasts who feel at home when they live besides danger, whereas the light exposes the harsh realities of life. It’s escapist, but in a beautiful way. Great job, I enjoyed reading.
This is a good poem. Each stanza portrayed a line that dealt with the emotions of grief, loss, and love that are universal to a lot of people who felt it in their youth. The motif of lights and shadows really painted an imagery that helped set the mood of the poem.
I love how the author emphasizes the word “shadow” a lot. It shows that type of emotion and message they want to pass along to the readers.
Life is short! So you should cherish your loved ones.
ZT,
Thank you for sharing this beautiful poem. Your words are heartfelt and profoundly laden with palpable emotion. The imagery you use is so strong, it transports the reader to the moments you write about.
Keep writing and be gentle with yourself.
This poem is excellent. You embody conflict and emotion within each stanza using your metaphor of shadows to life. You show how we can feel so meaningless and purposeless in this life. I love the parallel structure you use of including “Shadows dance with shadows, yeah, shadows dance with shadows…” in every stanza. I also like how you are not enamored with rhyming as this gets in the way of the point of a poem sometimes. Excellent work.
I love the first line “we used to chase the moon so we could play around with stars”
The lyrical nature of this fits so well with the idea of shadows dancing. It was like a sad song.
This poem has a wonderful musical feel to it – I could envision this as a song or a rap in memory of J.W., Niko, & R.C.H. I love how many references and allusions you made – like to Shakespeare (all the world’s a stage) but you turned it on its head. I could feel your heart and your pain through the way you wrote.
“Shadows” is such a good way to represent those who leave us – they never really go away but sometimes, depending on the light, they seem to. I hope that you can feel the presence of those you named, even when it’s dark and you might not be able to see the shadows. They’re still with you. Keep faith in your heart; even though you might be in a dark place, keep looking for the light so that you can see the shadows all around you. And when you see your own shadow, may it remind you that what you’ve done and where you are do not define who you are as a person. You matter, and I wish you the very best. Please keep writing!
This was a beautiful poem, and your use of imagery really moved me. I felt like I was part of the scene you depicted – one of youth and excitement, and of loss and pain. I think there are parts of this poem that anyone can relate with and the use of imagery and repetition makes it very moving and interactive. Thank you for being vulnerable and sharing!
I really loved the way you turned these common phrases on their head. The familiarity of the phrases intermixed with the repetition of “shadows dance with shadows” creates a beautiful resonance that can feel relatable to anyone who has experienced loss.
I found your poem very moving especially the imagery with the shadows. I hope one day soon you will be able to feel the beauty of the world and of the sun. But this can be found anywhere, even in those places where life may feel bleak.
This poem was an emotional piece. The readers can definitely feel you emotions by reading this. You did such a good job putting your feelings into words! Keep up the amazing writing!!
Hey ZT! I’m Aditi, a freshman at Wayne State in Detroit. I came across your poem while doing my service hours for my English class that aims to engage with the community beyond our university and other corporations.
I read the attributes after I finished reading your poem and I think the tagged section, childhood really helped me click the idea of your poem in my brain. I understand that your style of writing in this particular poem aims to demonstrate your train of thought which led you to finally accepting the loss of such an old friend. I like the way you use the word shadow to show us, your readers the way you feel so ambiguously about where souls go after life along with the words you used, “yeah, shadows dance with shadows”. Its brilliant how you’ve come up with the use of the word shadow to show how you are so hazy on the idea of death.
I think your writing style is very unique which really shows through your writing style. Even the way that you used the transition of the early stanzas in your poem to demonstrate your thoughts when you were younger and your last stanzas that shows you coming to terms with loss. I hope I would be able to read some more of your poems on this site and see your writing style in other themes.
The symbolism in this poem is used quite well, it ties the overall meaning to something any reader can understand. Also, the theme of the poem is completely cohesive throughout. Reading this poem was emotional, which shows that you had a great grasp with the overall tone. I throughly enjoyed reading this poem and thought it was emotional and a peaceful way to cope with grief. I am thoroughly sorry for your loss.
I love the imagery in this poem, the referencing of the sun, moon, and stars is beautiful. I also like the element of mood change as the poem continues, I think that it adds character and power to the story.
Hi ZT. I read your poem and I jumped out of my chair when I read the first paragraph, because I knew it was something I could try to decipher. The way you framed the poem made it sound like a riddle, and I love trying to think of possible explanations to everything I read in the poems. I believe that the first paragraph’s meaning has to do with childhood friends. Perhaps those listed below are friends of yours you used to hang around with. I believe the symbolism of the night represents bond and togetherness. I also think that light could represent the time periods of absence. Perhaps the “tear fallen from eyes” is the feeling of sadness while the “shine is wiped away” represents the wiping of a tear, or the end of sadness. I want to say that every “shadows dance with shadows” line differs in meaning. The first paragraph I thought of it as meaning friends stick together. In the second paragraph, as well it seemed as if the wiping of the tear was caused by the dancing of the shadows. In the third paragraph, I was a tad confused since the meaning of the shadows dancing is associated with the inevitable endings. It seems that in the final stanza, the shadows dancing shortly follow the sealing of hearts, the devils play, and the questions of life. That to me was strange, but perhaps the shadows will keep on dancing no matter what happens. That is as far as I have gotten to understanding the shadow mystery. I then thought for a while, and I think it would be better for it to remain a mystery, similar to how we leave the answers that were asked in the final stanza unanswered. If we started with the answers, then there is not a challenge or any fun to life. It still makes you curious what the answers to the burning questions are. Nevertheless, I pray for your friends as well, and I pray for their safety above. Thanks for writing this poem, and I hope you write more in the future! Peace, ZT.
Dear ZT,
You write about your grief in a very delicate and sincere way. I am sorry for your loss. The way you use memories and moments to express how much you miss and honor your friends is really beautiful. You make the reader really grateful for life but also make them think about the weight of death and loss. You have a talent for description! I want to send you hugs and I know your buddies that have passed also want to send you comfort. Thank you for being vulnerable. Warm regards, Roxanne
I really love the symbolism of tears being wiped away in this poem which in my understanding represents the death of a young friend. Because of how tears on a persons face often are present for such a short time this symbolism excellently illustrates the shortness of life in general, especially for those who die at a young age.
ZT,
Your poem is deep. I can tell you use poetry as a way to escape your grief, among other loses you may experience in your life. Your poem was good on all levels, starting with the title. The words and your lines were powerful. Keep writing ZT
Hi ZT – As I read this out loud, this feels a lot like a song with a consistent chorus “shadows dance with shadows.” It also feels like a lot of commonality with themes in MacBeth. “The whole world is a stage” is a quote attributed to Shakespeare and the constant use of Shadow and light as a metaphor for life and death is very MacBethian. It also seems like there are two poems in one here: the first two stanzas really fit together and the third and fourth ones fit together, but it feels like there’s a break between Stanza 2 and 3. Is that intentional?
Dear ZT,
Thanks for this atmospheric poem. I was captured by the opening line: “We used to chase the moon so we could play around with stars” and the line “we were the dark.” I love the play of light and dark, and celestial imagery in that first stanza. I wonder about the part in the second stanza where you talk about lovers and bliss. How are they related to the shadows, to the grief you explore here? There is something sensual in the refrain “shadows dance with shadows.” That’s a place where I want to hear more. I hope you continue to write!
Best,
Heather
Dear ZT,
I really like this metaphor of shadows dancing with shadows. So many times we do not know what is out there in the darkness, and we do not have the control of everything behind the scenes. It may seem that a shadow has been cast upon you at this time, but remember that you cast a shadow as well. Use your gifts to bring good into the world. Keep writing and dance with the shadows to bring in the light.
I am so glad I found this poem. You did a beautiful job of portraying the loss of youth and the loss of those close to you. I lost my best friend to an overdose two weeks ago, so your questioning of how we die, where we go, how and how we are remembered really resonates with me. I have been asking the same questions, and it comforts me carrying with me some of the happiest memories I have. I only hope that my life has enough impact to be remembered by those close to me. I am left here questioned how I will go on living when the world feels fake, yet all too painfully real. The imagery you created of shadows dancing with shadows creates an indescribable feeling in me. This piece will stick with me for a long time I believe. Thank you for your poem.
This was a beautiful sentiment to the people who you have lost, what a great way to honor them! I really loved the whole concept of your poem and the repetition of the shadows dancing with shadows. The repetition made that line really stick out and made it very impactful! I think you included a lot imagery which gives readers way to really picture the emotions you are trying to portray! I really loved the last stanza, where you talk about the world being a stage and reality. I think that was a great way of expressing the emotion you wanted readers to feel! This was great, thanks for sharing!
I could tell that this was a difficult and emotional poem to write, and I applaud you for your courage and loving words. I really like the phrase “Shadows Dance with Shadows” as I think it resonates well with your poems theme and encompasses the emotional weight that comes from each stanza. Reading through this poem I recalled a childhood friend from the past who I missed dearly when they moved schools. I can no longer recall their face or the days we shared. But I knew that the time spent was real and that they were my first true friend.
This poem had a lot of imagery which made the story flow and was easy to read. Losing a friend is difficult and creates a lot of strong emotion. Everyone has a different way of coping when it comes to loss and often times people write as a way to talk about it which I think is what you did here and that is amazing. I also like how you mentioned that tomorrow is not promised. I feel like that is very important because things you do in life matter so we have to make the most of it because we never know what is going to happen next. Stay strong and keep up the great work!
You can tell you have a knack for writing. The skill is incredible. I can visually see what you’re describing very clearly in my mind based on what I’m reading. That’s a very hard thing to do and you handled it so nicely. The line “If all the world’s a stage, why does this seem so real.” should have a question mark at the end of it because it’s a question. Overall, nicely done.
Hi ZT,
I like your poem. It is reflective and causes me to consider the impermanence of life and the significance of savoring each moment.
I appreciate the phrase, “How will they live after us?” It confronts a fear that most of us share, namely the fear of being forgotten or of failing to leave a lasting impression on the world.
Continue to write I would like to hear more from you.
To ZT- So many emotions were portrayed in your poem, each line also painted a picture of these emotions. The fact that you would put “we were” or “we used to” paints the picture of the past and shows just how things can change. You also introduced the topic of grief and loss literally or figuratively. Life can change in an instant, it can be good or bad but there really isn’t a way to stop that change. Losing someone is always a hard thing to get over, especially when you’re taunted by the memories of them. Great poem, don’t stop sharing!
Hi ZT,
Wow! I am blown away at the complexity of your poem- it’s amazing! This poem feels so melancholic and has such an intriguing cadence to it that it really draws the reader in. I also love how it almost feels song-like because of some of the repeating lines, specifically, “When shadows dance with shadows”.
Throughout your whole poem, you repeat this line, changing it each time it’s mentioned, and each time the way it reads changes so much. Additionally, the vibe of this poem is fascinating. Because of the words you repeat throughout, such as “dance”, “play”, and “die”, the poem has a very youthful yet darker tone, which is incredibly hard to do.
I think there are many ways to interpret this, but I personally believe it might be about growing older. Looking back at when we were younger is nice, but I’m sure there’s some sadness and reality to be sprinkled into it, like in the beginning of the poem. As we get older and we start to witness both life and death, one starts to wonder and question it. We live through many experiences in our lives that help to shape us, and that allow us to be around similar people, but at the end of the day we all fade away. I could be completely wrong, but this is what I got out of it, and I believe this is a very powerful message and story.
I personally really like your poem because of how melodic it is, with the repetition and use of words, as well as because of what I got away from it.
Thank you very much for sharing this wonderful piece of writing with the world!
Sincerely,
CO