Cries of Shadows

In the sunrise of my life when the sun was at my back
And my shadow stretched before me like a playmate in the grass
I'd chase her, for to catch her, we might merge upon the day
That the sun would shine upon us all the wisdom of the aged

In the noontime of my life when the sun was overhead
I'd lie upon my shadow like drunk lovers in strange beds
And I'd wish to slink away, but she'd follow underfoot
So I'd hide beneath the shade trees til she'd melt into the roots

In the afternoon of life the sun would blind me from the front
And my shadow'd sneak behind me like a bloodhound on the hunt
And where I used to chase my shadow, now my shadow she'd chase me
And I'd flee forever forwards while she'd bite me at my feet

In the sunset of my life I'd sit and count the golden rays
And my shadow'd sit beside me, but she was gentle, thin, and grey
And we'd laugh at how we chased each other back and forth all day
All the while holding hands, in love and in dismay

And I've always dreamed of nighttime and always wondered what's the means
That clicks the gears of time each day, and what fills the time between
When you've made your bed of clay and when the sun's beneath the floor
What brings around a newborn day and the cries of shadows born?