It’s funny sometimes. There’s no rhyme or reason, no logic, to when or where or what will spark my imagination.
Last Friday I was hanging out with friends and out of nowhere in the middle of good food, drinks, and friendly conversation I just stopped.
I grabbed my phone, which luckily has a synced mobile version of Microsoft OneNote, and started writing.
My face grew serious and focused and others were wondering what my issue was. Seriously folks, do I ever have issues? I’m a writer. I just think too much and feel too deeply. But I digress….
After a few minutes I had a rough draft of what you are about to read.
Not much was changed except for a few lines, some shifts in the placement of lines, and the addition of punctuation.
I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear your interpretations and comments.

“I Walk in the Shadows”

I am known to ordinary citizens,
I walk through their hopes and dreams;
My presence is felt by entire nations,
As my feet leave faint imprints in their sands.
I patiently walk through Time-
And as twilight falls upon those who meet me
Moonlight shimmers off my gray-black cloak,
Like stars in the heavens.

When the first living thing existed I was there,
Waiting in the shadows.
For I am Death.
I am the younger sister of my brother, Life.
Together we travel the cosmos,
Each playing our part in the delicate balance
Of that which Man calls existence.
We are known to all-
From king to stable hand,
From god to worshiper.
There is no emotional tangle,
No thought behind our actions;
We each have a job to do-
And we just do it.

Everyone is on their own path
Their own journey through existence.
My brother guides them onto the path,
And I am there to help them leave.

Loved ones come and go-
And the pain you feel when they leave
Is in direct proportion
To the joy their arrival brings.

They are dead.
Their memories now exist within you.

You are alive.
So live.

Enjoy the moments ahead
And remember fondly the moments behind,
And share those with others.

When the last living thing dies
And the time comes for the universe to cease to exist
My job will be finished.
I will put the chairs up on the table…
turn off the lights….
and quietly lock the door behind me as I leave……

© 2009 R. Wolf Baldassarro/Deep Forest Productions