ECHOES OF SHADOWS

I heard a voice

Small

Like a child

Hungry and lonely

It called out to me

To hold it

To live it

To feel it

And reveal it

I searched high and low

Long and wide

For the owner of the voice

But the harder I looked

The louder the voice became

It was haunting and needy

I couldn’t take it

I had to find the owner

I had to soothe the voice

The child

Tiny and helpless

Wanted only

To be loved

So I set out to discover the source

And I came across your door

There you sat inside

Living your life

Chasing your dreams

Eager for the next moment

Anxious for the other shoe to drop

And I reached out to you

With love and hope

With kindness and care

With arms to hold you

And a calling

To bring you in

And show you who you were

Covet you and care for you

But you pushed me aside

You pushed me away

You didn’t want my sympathy

You had your own life to live

Your own purpose to pursue

Your own voice to follow

And then the voice called out again

And I realized it wasn’t your voice

Your voice was strong

Your voice was full and capable

And this voice needed so much

Wanted so much

Craved even the slightest touch

So I set out to find the source

And I searched high and low

Near and far

From the mouth of the hungry ocean

To the peak of the wise mountain

And then I realized

The voice must belong

To the world itself

Only a world such as ours

Could have a call so desperate

A voice so broken and ignored

A sound so mournful

And full of regret and loss

So I called out to the world

And I offered my love

My light

My vision and my heart

To heal it

To soothe it

To love it

But the world’s echo answered back

It didn’t need me

It wasn’t hungry for my love

It’s voice was deep and sharp

Strong and powerful

And it reverberated through me

Harmonized through my heart

Inspired my body to be still

My mind to be quiet

It was not the voice I had heard

That voice still called to me

Still cried for me

Still longed for me

So I listened

Maybe for the first time

I listened and I searched

But this time

I searched within

This time I dove deep

And really listened

Love me - it said

Hold me - it said

Feel me - it said

I am here and I want only you

I need only you

And I am nothing without you

I recognized that voice

I had heard it my whole life

I cried at the twinge of pain

I mourned at the song of sorrow

I rejoiced at the reality

The deep and powerful truth

That this voice was my own heart

My soul looking for me

Reminding me that it was a part of me

Calling to me

With sadness and joy

With hope and faith

With power and patience

Love me forever it said

And I listened

And I threw my arms around my self

Held my shaking shoulders tight

Closed my eyes

And rocked myself to sleep

And as I slept I dreamed

And I cried

And I smiled

And I laughed

For the voice was merely a reminder

To never leave myself behind

And I never would again

I never could again

And the voice was silent

My heart was finally full

And I felt peace again

For the very first time