To Regain

In the empty space

In the soft, still forest

Howled the wind lace

Howled the breath gust.

-

In the still, soft forest

I hunted for my shadow.

Howl of my breathy gust

painted a frost. Snow

-

hunted for my shadow.

I ran beyond, I ran behind,

painting frost beside snow

panting for this race—of a kind.

-

I ran beyond. I ran behind.

Then moonlight forced us pause.

Panting for this race of a kind,

we stood as ice, against the thaw.

-

Then moonlight forced us pause

and I stood shadowless.

We stood as ice, against the thaw

United one end: a shadow to possess.

-

And I, I stood shadowless

And ran the same, it to regain.

Snow and I united to possess

one of us the end in vain.

-

And ran the same to it regain

(Howl of the winded lace)

One of us the end in vain,

(In the empty space.)

Thank you so much for reading! This is a pantoum. It follows an abab rhyme scheme, with the 2nd and 4th lines repeated as the 1st and 3rd of the next stanza. The final stanza takes the 1st and 3rd lines from the initial stanza and inverts them as the 2nd and 4th.