Shadows

Shadows. Unsteady harbingers of the night
Furtive motion at a remove at once and then joined together
The stories they tell, mirrors of alternate worlds
Uprooted, prodigal strangers, faintly recognizable as ourselves

Visions. The griots would speak of the antecedents
And of the journeys from origins that were once called home
Roots and connective tissue to pasts we escaped
Places we once belonged, sanctuaries lost
And glories to be regained

Absences
That, at night, when the calm invades our shelter
When momentarily we can truly perceive the notices conveyed by the spirits
We welcome the reflection, these fugitives that elude us
Even as we touch and draw together

Shadows, a playlist

A soundtrack for this note (spotify version)

• Blue Shadows by Freddie King
• Soul Shadows by Joe Sample
• Shadow Dancers by George Benson
• Spirits by Gil Scott-Heron
• Shadows by Tom Scott
• The Moving Shadows by United Future Organization
• Genes and Spirits by Moses Taiwa Molelekwa
• Shadows and the Light by Maysa Leak
• Messenger of Wisdom by Kool & the Gang
• Standing in the Shadows of Love by Barry White
• Shadow Dancers by George Benson & Jack McDuff
• Shadow Boxing by Teena Marie
• Spirits of Tembisa by Moses Taiwa Molelekwa
• Shadows of the Night by Pat Benatar
• Silver Shadow by Atlantic Starr

File under: culture, observation, perception, sensory, longing, poetry, toli

Writing log: May 21, 2023