Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt

Poem by Gaudys Laxury

It’s the other side of us. 
The side that wants to dance and sing and play. 
It seems to be hidden; but always seems to follow. 
It’s never harmful but spooks us at times. 
Look at it directly and 
it will never show its face—our truth. 
You dance, it dances; 
you jump, it jumps;
you leap, it leaps
...in a never-ending battle. 
It also seems sad and dark and lonely. 
You sit, it sits; 
you slouch, it slouches; 
you cry and no dear friends, 
you see no tears from it, 
but the stillness it exudes with sad emotions,
as if it were crying with you. 
And yet...it will remain with you through happiness and sadness, 
anger and excitement, movement and non-movement 
and grow old with you too. 
It’s clingy, no doubt about it!!! 
But as clingy as it is, 
you cannot leave it 
–well maybe for darkness. 
What can you do but accept it for what it is? 
Your bona fide self.