Shadow Boy

I take a breath & close my eyes, pushing off, up I fly.
No one else is around me, the sky is mine alone.
Dark, deep, & lonely, the sky engulfs me
Here among the stars, I forget everything
The loneliness, the fears, the anger, it all disappears
I am all by myself inside this enormous sky.
Who is that in the distance, watching me,
Hiding in the shadows of the night?
Shadow boy, who are you?
What do you want from life?
You are there & I am here, yet we are the same
Pretending to not care when they ignore us.
Trying not to hide when attacked.
Wishing for someone to stick around.
Shadow boy, what are you?
Who are you looking for?
Sometimes I imagine you’re just in my head
Yet you must be real, because I see you everywhere.
Constantly at my side, holding me up,
Making sure I don’t lose myself in the world.
Shadow Boy, I need you
You keep me afloat when land is nowhere in sight
Holding me as I scramble toward that light in the distance.
For the first time I have someone at my side.
I am not alone anymore,
But what if you leave me?
Please don’t go away, I need someone to stay.
Shadow boy, where are you?
How could you just disappear?
Because it’s night & I’m back on my swing
You’re not anywhere in sight
Maybe my tears are blinding me
The world is spinning out of control
Nothing is holding me together
My intuition was right; you were all in my head
Because now I know that you aren’t real
You were nothing but a beautiful dream.
But even still I’m reaching for you
Reaching but there’s nothing here.
Can there really be nothing Shadow Boy?
Would you really leave me in the barren ocean?
As I swing upon this swing, I’m sensing something so much bigger.
Encasing me with hope.
Though you are gone, dreams have taken your place.
Dreams of flying & succeeding at everything I do.
Out of those dreams I create a reality,
Where I find someone real, not just a shadow.
Together we’d live & breathe,
Allowing the world to swallow us & then spit us out.
Helping each other grow & move on.
We’d never feel alone, but surrounded by love.
We take a breath & close our eyes
Holding hands, up we fly
Into a world of wonder, magic, & hope
Where we will never feel loneliness
Is that you Shadow Boy, standing in the void?
Why are you crying boy?
You are not alone, you are never alone
There is room here for you too.
Leave the darkness & come to the light.
Come Shadow Boy, come join us.