Sadness - 2: The Shadow Speaks Back

Author's Note:
In 2006, I penned a piece called Sadness. a deeply personal exploration of longing and estrangement. It narrated a soul's plea to the Chasm and the Shadow for solace and understanding. This response, written now, embodies the voice of the Shadow—the cosmic force speaking back to a human heart—reflecting on that plea.
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O heart that aches beneath my veil,
Your cries resound, though whispers frail.
I am the spark, the restless tide,
The keeper of truth you strive to hide.

You call me tyrant, silent and stern,
Yet from my touch, your passions burn.
Affection denied, you curse my reign,
Yet crave my embrace through joy and pain.

I cast you down, but not to betray,
The Chasm holds what I cannot sway.
For I am fleeting, a fleeting spark,
The light in your dawn, the fear in your dark.

You seek my favor, a fleeting touch,
But know, dear one, I give too much.
For every sorrow, I give desire,
A fire to rise, a reason to aspire.

Bow not to me; I am no god,
I am the path your soul has trod.
Through grief, through love, through all you know,
I am the current that bids you grow.

So rise, my child, from Chasm’s embrace,
See me not as torment, but as grace.
For even in sorrow, I light your way—
The Shadow’s truth will never betray.


-- Pradeep K (Prady)