This is my shadow, she has a name but I can’t tell it to you or you could steal her away and then I would have to wear iron shoes. I keep her in a drawer most of the time, with a brass lock, as polite people do, but sometimes she gets out, usually when I’m hurt or broken or lost and she thinks terrible things. She thinks dissapointment and doubt, she thinks fear and anger and she knows how to hate. They tell me we all have shadows. Some people wear theirs like a trench coat and that makes them scary. I fold mine up, when I leave the house, and tuck her in to my shoe. That way, I can pull her out when I need her. You can’t enjoy a good moonrise without your shadow.
January 21, 2010
37 responses to Shadow
I think our shadow selves need to be ferocious so they can battle demons that threaten us – they are our inner Lancelots. Without them, we’d be defenseless. They may not be pretty, but they are very brave.
I like this idea a lot. Sometimes the brave part of me is frightening though.
the photo is breathtaking !!
p.s. I like the idea of ‘tucking (my shadow) in to my shoe’ :)
Thank you. It fits quite neatly if you try.
I agree, it is a breathtaking photo~
…We all have shadows…it’s what we do with them that matters.
Oh, that is so true. Thank you ♥
stunning! so, so fantastic. xx
You are very kind ♥
Beautiful writing and the photo is amazing! I always look forward to your posts.. You’re inspiring!
Thank you so much.
i just came across your site recently and got so addicted reading every post!
You are a beautiful writer.
That is the kindest compliment, thank you.
That picture is stunning.
I find that sometimes I need my shadow too, I have it somewhere. Without it, I would forgive too much for my own good! I’d be even more defenceless.
I often wonder if it’s possible to forgive too much, but I don’t think it is. It’s only dangerous to trust too much. I think you can forgive someone without trusting them.
everyone of your posts just take my breath away. you are magic ♥
Thank you, you are so sweet ♥
You have the soul of a writer, my dear. Reading your words is like seeing magic itself. Thank you for always adding a touch of enchantment to my days.
Thank you for taking the time to read my scribblings ♥
The photo is lovely!
Thank you, so is your blog, I just had a look!
oh the photo is great! really love it i want to save it into my pc!
is good to see you posting often.
Thank you, I know I should post more often but I do write a lot that I don’t post.
<3
♥♥♥
I like the idea of pullng out your shadow when you need too. I shall rememeber that. Your photo makes me think of a magical fairytale paper cut. Beautiful. I have only just found your lovely blog(that word does not seem suitable somehow for here-too ugly a word) and I love it!
Thank you, I’ve always liked paper cuts (except the painful sort) and I think lovely is a perfectly lovely word especially when said with a British accent!
so magical. i feel like my shadow haunts me more than anything else. if only i could lock it away in a drawer for quite some time. but perhaps i can. happy weekend. xx
Good luck getting it in to the drawer ♥ you should only be haunted by lovely things.
Owww…
The first thing I thought when I saw your beautiful picture was Sweet Stepmother (Edes Mostoha by Artur Lakner), a hungarian book full with pictures. It’s about a little girl, Erzsebet, who has a rich father, but she is very lonely without her mother, who died. Her father said that she will get a new mother for her birthday, but her governess read her scary tales about stepmothers, and in the birthday party, she saw her new mother’s silhouette on the ground glass door, and she run away, to the next village/town… And started to learn in the girls school with the sweet teacher called Maria… Such a sweet and beautiful story.
Oh, that sounds frightening and really sweet at the same time. I wonder if I can find it in English?
Oh! Your description is amazing. I’ve had quite a few nasty quarrels with my shadow. We both have the scars to prove it. Maintaining peace is a work in progress.
I know the feeling. I hope you are winning at present.
That was really beautiful.
It made me think of the scene in Peter Pan when his shadow comes off and Wendy catches him crying, but he adamantly denies it.
My nickname is Sunshine, because it matches my personality. The shadow proves the sunshine, right? My shadow self rarely comes out, but when she does it is with good reason so i think people appreciate Sunshine more because they’ve met my Shadow.
Yes, that is where the Drawer came from!
You have a very pretty nickname.
This reminds me of the personality theory of Sigmund Freud, he discusses the shadow or alter-ego. He says that our shadow is made up of the attributes that we wish to hide from society, but appears under sudden emotion and even in our deepest dreams.
I’ve been thinking a lot about my shadow.
I wish to confront her, for we’ve been bumping heads a lot.
maybe a meeting over a cup of tea haha…
Beautiful photo, and great idea. I hope you don’t mind that I’m using a similar idea on my blog. I don’t mean to steal, you just inspired me. I can change it if you’d like.
How did you do the photo, anyways? I had to settle for a darkened photograph of my riding boots. *laughs*
Once more…..your writing is superlatively enrapturing. :)