I cast a long shadow.
She is taller than I am.
She is stronger and more substantial too.
Her baggage rests at her feet,
(mine is carried in my shoulders, my head and my heart).
She stops when I do and waits for me.
Will she pick up that heavy load again?
With or without it, I will never catch her.
When I stumble forward again,
she glides effortlessly onward.
I envy her.
How I envy her.
Word count: 79
Full critique acceptable.
If you would like to see what other talented people have done with this prompt I hope you will go HERE. Clicking on any name with a DL next to it will take you to their story.
Huge thanks to the WEP team and all the contributors. I have been given immense support and hours of fun. However, I am tired, overwhelmed and stepping back. I am pretty certain that this will be my last WEP for some time.
This is such a lovely poem Sue and says so much - how the shadow is stronger than the person throwing the shadow. Ah, the relief of having the baggage rest at your feet instead of carrying it on your shoulders.
ReplyDeleteKalpana: Thank you. Ephemeral as my shadow is, she does feel stronger than I do.
DeleteI looked at the WEP site. A writer I am not. I checked the guys site where you couldn't find his post. If you search WEP on his site the last one is Feb 2020. He must have posted, then taken it down.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, less than a thousand words? HA! I have trouble reading a thousand words let alone writing that many.
Mike: You are a stranger to the truth. The article you linked to in your last post is considerably longer than 1000 words. I do hope that CLeeMcKenzie corrects the link/reposts. I love her work and have several of her books.
DeleteFrom now on I'm going to word count the article BEFORE I start reading!
DeleteMike: Why bother. I think one of the sign's of good writing is that the word count is largely irrelevant. And, as an aside, I was very glad to find the missing post this morning - and a whole lot more wonderful takes on the prompt.
DeleteI envy her, too. She is always ahead of me, lighter and proud. Awesome expressions.
ReplyDeleteSanhita Mukherjee: Thank you. Our shadows float don't they, leaving our earthbound selves far behind.
DeleteDear EC
ReplyDeleteI envy your way with words. This resonates so much - we are all stumbling forwards, wishing we could glide.
Best wishes
Ellie
Ellie Foster: Thank you. Wouldn't it be lovely to glide?
DeleteSuccinct!
ReplyDeletekylie: That it is.
DeleteI love this.
ReplyDeleteCindi Summerlin: Thank you.
DeleteLove your post and I so hope this isn't your last for any length of time. Your words are inspiring. Take care.
ReplyDeleteMason Canyon: It is my last WEP (for a while at least) but I will continue to post Sunday Selections and random other posts. And thank you. You take care too.
DeleteLong shadows are so elegant and glide along effortlessly. I hope you and your shadow has many adventures yet to live through together. This whole piece has a longing tome, hitting the rigth vbalance between nostalgia ans self pity. I like it very much.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte (MotherOwl): Thank you. I am sure that my shadow and I have many, many more journeys ahead. Journeys we will take together though she floats where I trudge.
DeleteGreat poem. I love how you describe our shadow as carrying a heavy load.
ReplyDeleteNatalie Aguirre: Thank you. My shadow at least can let go of that heavy load rather better than I do.
DeleteNice expression of how feather light a shadow seems, compared to our own weighted lives. Makes me think I think too much of myself and my problems. They, me, we're really nothing, like a shadow, a moment.
ReplyDeleteStrayer: Nothing but a fleeting moment indeed...
DeleteOh I love this poem. It really spoke to me. My shadow self continues to carry a heavy load.
ReplyDeletemxtodis123: I hope your shadow can continue to relieve you of some of the burden of grief you carry.
DeleteWell done.
ReplyDeleteR's Rue: Thank you.
DeleteOoohhh, I love this poem, EC. You are very talented, but I already knew that before I read this. :-)
ReplyDeleteDJan: Many thanks. As always I feel dwarfed by the talent of other WEP contributors and am grateful to be able to join them.
DeleteHow is SmartGuy doing? And you?
To me, the mark of a great writer is the ability to convey emotion with an economy of words. You are brimming with that talent! You tap the essence of the struggle we are experiencing and yet our determination to go on, despite the hardships and the weight of the baggage we carry. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteRiver Fairchild: I am endlessly grateful for the support you offer, and so very glad our paths crossed here in the blogosphere.
DeleteBeautiful!
ReplyDeleteI envy the effortless glide as well. :)
Jemi Fraser: Thank you. Don't we all?
DeleteI’ve carried baggage on my shoulders too. I couldn’t walk too well for a while. It’s improved a great deal but the memory remains. “She” is a great example though. I follow her!
ReplyDeleteMarie Smith: I load myself up with more baggage than I can handle. And then add some more. For a supposedly intelligent woman some days I am not very bright. And thank you. I follow my shadow too, and some day I will learn from her.
DeleteHow clever are you with me and my shadow. Well done.
ReplyDeleteMargaret D: Thank you.
DeleteWonderful poem. The relationship between you and your shadow seems deep and complex.
ReplyDeleteOlga Godim: I think that many of us have a complicated relationship with ourselves. Complicated and sometimes fraught.
DeleteWonderfully evocative, EC.
ReplyDeleteYou painted emotions with words.
Sandra Cox: Thank you. I tried and I am glad you could feel some of it.
DeleteSo cute. After this, I'm probably going to pay more attention to my shadow.
ReplyDeleteBernadette: Thank you. And yet, even if you pay your shadow no attention she will still endure - and often outpace you.
DeleteI loved this treatment of the theme. Excellent job.
ReplyDeletecleemckenzie: Thank you.
DeleteNicely written!
ReplyDeleteLon Anderson: Welcome back. You have been missed.
DeleteI love this. Very poetic and deep thoughts. Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteMyrna R.: High praise coming from an accomplished poet and perpetual thinker. Many thanks.
Deletedefinitely great shadow
ReplyDeleteGosia: Oh she is. And she is strong today too, after hiding yesterday.
DeleteThis is great EC :)
ReplyDeleteDeniseinVA: Thank you. I hope you and Gregg are safe and well.
DeleteI'm envious of your shadow and of you.
ReplyDeleteMildred Ratched: Envious? Of us? You flabberghast me.
DeleteAnd you flabbergast me. You're way too humble and way too talented for your own good.
DeleteMildred Ratched: Thank you. I find your praise difficult to believe but thank you.
DeleteAnd yet, she cannot exist without you, whereas you can exist without her.
ReplyDeletemessymimi: Sometimes I wonder which is the chicken and which the egg.
DeleteWonderful.
ReplyDeleteThat's all I can think of to say. Completely inadequate.
DeleteJoanne Noragon: You and inadequacy are planets apart. Universes apart.
DeleteThank you.
This is so relatable. Life's struggles encapsulated in under a hundred words. Stumbling, weighed down, while our shadows, ethereal, seem to mock us, but never leave. Well done!
ReplyDeleteDonna Hampton: Thank you. I am not certain whether my shadow mocks or ignores me...
DeleteThis is wonderful! I wish my shadow could carry my load for me sometimes, too. Your way with words is impressive as always!
ReplyDeleteL.G. Keltner: Thank you. I am so very apppreciative of the supportive (and talented) WEP team.
DeleteYou capture that feeling so well, our shadows are so deceptive. Strong and immortal looking. I wish I was my shadow too. :)
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
Wisewebwoman: Thank you. I don't know whether to be happy or sad that my small piece reflected other people's emotions.
DeleteHugs.
Our shadows portray so much and yet so little of who we really are. Lovely!
ReplyDeleteYolanda Renee: Thank you. How true it is, but if I had my druthers I would rather be my shadow than my earthbound self.
DeleteNicely written
ReplyDeleteashok: Thank you.
DeleteAn exceedingly creative poem. Well done, Elephant's Child.
ReplyDeleteChristopher Scott Author: Thank you.
DeleteI really liked this. When I was a child I felt like my shadow was one of my only friends.
ReplyDeleteOrnery Owl: Thank you. I have felt that way too.
DeleteKim@lirralirra.com commented: Hmmm I've commented twice but both comments disappeared. If they all arrive eventually please ignore two of them! I just wanted to say that things are pretty difficult here at the moment and that your imagery really made me think. Take care out there
ReplyDeleteThanks Kim. Your lockdown is much harder than ours and I am sure it IS difficult. I hope the signs that the virus is easing are correct.
Very nicely done. I rarely notice my shadow.
ReplyDeleteRiver: Thank you. I am drawn to shadows - literally and metaphorically.
DeleteI love this poem, full of meanings!
ReplyDeleteNatalia: Thank you for your kind words.
DeleteI love long shadows. And thank you for this lovely poem.
ReplyDeleteLady Fi: Thank you too.
DeleteAs always you energise and uplift with your meaningful words and your unique take on life generally and this prompt specifically. I totally get why you need to take a breather. I am going to miss you at WEP. Stay well.
ReplyDeleteNilanjana Bose: Your comment epitomises (as they always do) the very welcome support I have found through WEP. Many, many thanks.
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteYou are that shadow. I like that the fact that the shadow represents the strength that you don't see and it is that strength that picks you up and keeps you going each time you fall.
A beautiful truth is buried within your poem.
Shalom aleichem,
Pat Garcia
Pat Garcia: What an empowering take on my poem. Thank you. Hugely.
DeleteThis is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteSally: I am so glad you enjoyed it.
DeleteYou've said so much in such few words. That's the mark of a good writer. I wish you all the very best as you take a sabbatical and I hope you can join us soon.
ReplyDeleteSonia Dogra: More support. I really don't consider myself a writer (let alone a good one) so this comment is very welcome (and unexpected).
DeleteSmart shadow letting go of her baggage. If only we could do the same.
ReplyDeleteI know I've already commented on your writing, but this really is well done. It delivers such tangible emotion. And emotion is what writing is all about.
Sandra Cox: How I would love to learn to let go my baggage (and to leave it behind permanently). I am endlessly grateful and humbled by the support of 'real' writers.
DeleteThank you EC for this pretty love poem. How sad you will not be joining in WEP in the future, I’ll miss your contributions. Life has its priorities, so you are right to make decisions. Wishing you all the best. Happy WEP week, and please stop by to visit from time to time.
ReplyDeleteSusan B: Thank you. Writing is peripheral to who I am (or the way I see myself) so in some ways it wasn't a hard choice. I will miss (badly) the support and the wonder I have found through WEP though. Stay well, stay safe.
DeleteOnly just on topic:
ReplyDeleteDid you know that shadows have a very slight, but
NEGATIVE weight?
Ole Phat Stu: Another reason to envy my shadow? And thank you. Negative weight was a new concept for me, and I can see hours ahead to explore.
DeleteThat was beautiful. Thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from London.
A Cuban in London: Thank you very much. I hope that you are safe and well.
DeleteYes, your words are glorious, and I mirror your thoughts and envy her too! I may give this a try, of course I not that long ago spent way too long creating a short post. I guess the more we try it the better we'll master it.
ReplyDelete21 Wits: Thank you. I think a lot of us envy our shadows and could/should learn from them. I really like your long posts, packed with beauty, with wisdom and with quirky fun.
DeleteAbout my shadow, I remember my childhood which was quite astonished because I felt that I was always followed wherever I went ... because it was a small child I was confused 😊
ReplyDeleteHimawan Sant: I can totally understand that - stalked by your shadow.
DeleteHo Sue. I've heard of being afraid of your shadow, but never of being envious. But I totally get it. And in so few words. I hope your taking a break will give you more strength and energy for what is most important in your life, Sue. You will be sadly missed from the WEP roundup. Thanks for your precious contribution.
ReplyDeleteDenise Covey: I am glad that I could present my perspective in a believable way. And thank you. I do hope to return to WEP again, but know not when.
DeleteThanks for bringing this WEP to my attention, and I wrote a post as well, my photo very similar to your shadow! I believe I followed the rules and sent in my link too. So many ranges of long shadow posts!
ReplyDelete21 Wits: I saw that you had joined us when I went to the WEP site this morning. I was beyond pleased and loved your poem. I do hope that you will join in the next challenge in two months time as well. WEP is jam packed with talent and support.
DeleteBeautifully put!
ReplyDeleteDamyanti: Many thanks.
DeleteSo many sentiments in so few words. the referral to the baggage resonates with me - and the envy! My shadow is so much more graceful than I am!
ReplyDeleteCarola Bartz: I suspect that our shadows would make even a fall graceful - and am very glad that my poem resonated with you.
DeleteWishing you a weekend filled with bubble weather, good health, and happiness so great you feel like you will burst with it.
ReplyDeleteSandra Cox: No bubbles, but a delicate tracing of snow on nearby hills. A beautiful tracing of snow, which has me smiling broadly.
DeleteStay well, stay safe.
If the last one, it was a very good one
ReplyDeleteAndrew R. Scott: Thank you. If you visit the WEP site there are many, many excellent takes on the prompt.
DeleteHa! How nice, dropping by, reading your 79 words, scrolling down and find me being able to echoing Andrew's com(pli)ment.
ReplyDeleteThere's obviously indeed a first time for everything. In this very case it took me only about a decade to let you know that, at least sporadically, I have been visiting – but alas! I am such a lazy commenter.
Sean Jeating: Thank you - and definitely better late than never.
DeleteMakes one pause and reflect - your shadow is like a companion ready to assist and steer you through the valley of darkness keeping the path of righteousness clearly in sight.
ReplyDeleteSpacer Guy: I don't know that my shadow gives a fig for the path or righteousness - but could certainly be wrong. Again.
DeleteThis is so nice and relatable. I too have often envied the woman in my shadow. She is taller and stronger than me.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you are overwhelmed. I hope this isn't your last entry forever, but if it is, what a way to go! Hope you get some rest. Take care.
Toi Thomas: Thank you. It seems a lot of us recognise those tall, strong shadows...
DeleteThis is new to me of course but those words of yours....how incredibly beautiful they are. I envy you your gift with words.
ReplyDeleteMimsie: Thank you. It is lovely to see you back in the blogosphere.
DeleteI liked this ... very much :)
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
Lowcarb team member ~Jan: Thank you. Did you check out the other WEP posts? There are some stunners.
DeleteHi EC - that's great ... the ever easy going shadow - when we have one! This rings so true of you ... I can quite imagine all you say in your evocative poem. Exquisite ... beautifully expressed - I hope the winter sun shines for you so a delightful shadow can be with you and care for you ... stay safe - Hilary
ReplyDeleteHilary Melton-Butcher: Thank you. While I envy my shadow, it is still nice to think that some part of me moves with ease and grace. You stay safe too please - and get better. Which is an order rather than a request.
DeleteThis was neat. There's some cool depth in the words, especially about the baggage.
ReplyDeleteJamie: Thank you. Some days that baggage weighs us all down doesn't it?
DeleteYeah. That it does.
DeleteJamie: All of us. And a big sigh from here.
DeleteOh, wow! I love your take on the long shadow. Beautifully expressed, and concisely, too! :-)
ReplyDeleteDiane Henders: Thank you. Did you explore any of the other WEP contributions? There are some absolute stunners.
DeleteUnfortunately, I have to limit myself to only a few. I could spend hours happily reading on the internet, but that time is sacrificed from my writing time. All things in moderation. *sigh*
DeleteDiane Henders: I so understand. Even without a writing schedule I run out of available hours.
DeleteWonderfully said EC! There is a lot of emotion in this write! Big Hugs!
ReplyDeleteMagic Love Crow: Many thanks. I tried to fill it with emotion and I am glad that it worked for you. Big hugs to you too.
Delete