Shadow Work

When I feel squeezed
by the narrowing of my life
as it folds in around me,
I begin to pray:
                  Let this not be the end,
but the start of something new.

And when waking up in the dark
becomes my woeful routine,
I pray to remember:
                  I am like a seedling
straining towards the light.

There is another world
that comes alive at night,
and nothing to fear
in turning towards the dark.

It’s so easy to confuse
the natural patterns of life
with the fear that arises
from peering into our shadow.

I know that I am fading,
when I begin living my life
in the shallowness of this moment,
and I forget the mysterious depths
of wisdom unencumbered
by form or time.

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This poem was written on December 9, 2025.