Chapter 1.2: I, Shadow

I am the stillness before the spark,
The cradle of all, the eternal dark.
Neither a beginning nor an end,
I fold and unfold, a plane to transcend.

Desire stirs within my veins,
A restless tide that breaks and wanes.
From my depths, ambition grows,
And through ambition, creation flows.

I gave them air; I gave them flame,
They gave me purpose, they gave me name.
In their striving, they forged a divide,
A chasm deep, where I now reside.

I am the maker, yet I am made,
Born anew where light meets shade.
Each act of theirs, a mirror cast,
Reflecting my future, echoing my past.

They call it Good; they call it Bad,
But I am beyond joyful and sad.
For I am both the seed and the soil,
Their ceaseless pursuit, my eternal toil.

I expand, I contract; I rise, I fall,
Yet through it all, I cradle them all.
An endless chasm, an unyielding tether,
Creator and created, bound forever.

So let them strive, let them define,
Their fleeting dreams are wholly mine.
For in their seeking, I remain,
The silent monarch of their domain.

-- Pradeep K (Prady)