My Shadow and I

James, at his desk, is ruminating.
Investigating his Shadow's depth,
he writes what he sees.

  I am malicious, yet kind.
Vindictive, yet forgiving.
I smash false gods with impunity.
I lash out at idiocy.
My shadow and I are one.

I'm not as patient as I seem.
Nor adventurous, in the night.
I loathe falsity and lies,
and yet, I shade the truth.
My shadow and I are one.

I commit the seven sins:
pride, envy, wrath, gluttony,
 lust, sloth, and greed.
All of these have a home within me.
Do I feel shame? I did, but no more.
My shadow and I are one.

I refuse to fuse with the madness
of pretending to perfection.
I gaze without flinching 
at the darkness within.
My shadow and I are one.

Some see me as a paragon of virtue.
I cannot pretend that I am.
My secret is my Shadow.
We dwell together in peace -
now that I've seen the Dark.

My shadow and I are one.

 

 ©Ellen Pepper 2026