Shadows On The Road Poem by Terence George Craddock (Spectral Images and Images Of Light)

Shadows fade into nothing
after days weeks months
spent walking hitching talking.
To people to unknown people.
To chance met chance greeted strangers.

Shadows fade into nothing
as you walk ever further down fated road.
A string of shadows; uniform lean; lamp-post silhouettes;
fade upon momentum approach, individually, singularly.
With sun aligned unity creating chance met shifting shadows.

Shadows fade into nothing
in illusive life nothing lasts ultimately.
even memories fade into shadow
places people come go eventually expire.
sharp transient pain signals momentous quick goodbyes.

Shadows fade into nothing
So much to see
So much to do.
Life put upon personified road.
Life as time encountered shadows.

Shadows fade into nothing
people perceived way they live look feel.
On chance met meeting; move moving constantly;
only get blended superimposed feel, personifying, transient place.
An echo exemplifying trajectory transitory passing shadows.

Shadows fade into nothing
distant places voices echo emphatically
never what's expected kaleidoscopic shifting moments
things taken for touch-stone granted
adjust to living then adjust illusions.

Shadows fade into nothing.
What was impression feel transposing textual sky?
Did a river feel as it looked?
Life lay in a bend in tenuity road.
People blend into terrain background.

Shadows fade into nothing
shaped by external elements
places faces races glad to see.
Places glad to ill-timed leave.
Shadow seen world shadow world seen me.

What's the world like? Mitch talked like
an American out to become 'an ancient mariner' stereotype.
Who had to draw a map defining checker-board world
from shadow fading; randomly acquired experience;
from chance shadow studied objects.

What's the world like?
Going? Not knowing?
What a place is like?
Patching shadow pulsating puzzle pieces together.
Glimpsed stimulating perhaps disinterested ignorant conversations.

What's the world like?
For those who wish
yet never will.
Perhaps because they know dreaming leave-taking
has an equilibrium requisite price.

What's the world like?
Travel Hunger may cost chip cashed in life.
See it in their tired travelless home town faces.
Happiness hope hollowness hostage hopelessness.
Story written lines symptom shadowed life.

What's the world like?
Dreams never big enough.
Dreams never real enough.
Diminished for those who never take.
Apprenticeship wandering trail.

What's the world like?
Weathered for those who want but never will?
Blistering thirst swelling dessert sun
icy chill driven sleet snow blizzards
fear tearing winds tornado blasts.

What's the world like?
Far from hearthside and warm arms
lulled luxury of comfort providing loved ones.
Danger hunger loneliness sickness
chime time for shadow chime filled minds.