Shadow Treatise by Arcadian

[Nicola]

Afternoon - strong light everywhere,
No movement, except the leaves in the trees;
There is commotion in there,
A chatter about something that matters;
Whisper's of the sun are but shadows
Here on the loose gravel path;
Bold as the Ace of Spades then
Frayed at the edges as conversations
Try to extend towards a dug-up garden bed.

Shadows are needed, that is to say
Not to think of them
In negative light - to plot in,
To hide in - the murky depths of intrigue
Not revealed to all as in State secrets,
Or in boardroom meetings in mahogany rooms.
Imagine this: walls, floors, ceilings
All uniformly white, not being able
to discern corners or shape of the room.
Shadows cloak and add a solidity.

Or at night in lunar light,
The moon floats above the clouds -
Light as paper lantern hovering
In the Royal Court in luminence
Among the lesser celestial lights.
A rare lunar eclipse will
Give a glimpse as the shadow
Is cast across her face,
Removes the gloss off - and shows
The moon's true nature - a pock marked,
Creviced faced, dark lump of rock
Caught in a never ending orbit
Hovering above our heads.
Shadows are needed - they explain things.

Arcadian