Brian’sPoems

My Shadow Self

Learning the wisdom of the West...

Every evening,
when I lived in Texas,
I would take long walks
‘round my neighborhood
as the sun edged closer
to the urban horizon.

On these walks I would listen
to music, news and stories,
like the history of Coca-Cola.
But then one evening
during a summer squall,
I took cover beneath a crepe myrtle
and heard a strange voice
urging me to go deeper.

Had I recognized then
that scheming western voice
prodding me further
into the dark areas of my soul,
I would’ve hurried home
and maybe started taking my walks
in the early mornings.

Ask anyone who’s gone West
and they’ll surely tell you,
there’s nothing easy
about traveling in the dark,
and now their biggest fear is forgetting
what the darkness taught them.