My skin tingles from the sheer thought of it -

The onslaught of the shadow that leaves a shadow;

My hair roots stand on tiptoe -

To think he might be closing in;

My ears perk up to absolute attention -

Listening for the deafening sound of the silent intruder;

My eyes blur to near blindness -

Seeing only the much I have not done;

Hearing only the words I wish I had said;

Clinging only to brittle straws of second chances;

Feeling only the hollow depth of time gone to waste.

This is it -

The one thing I dread the most;

To bestow eyes upon myself,

A docile bystander in the ultimate race,

My shoes barely dusty;

My track suit barely sweaty;

My muscles barely streched.

For then the shadow that leaves a shadow -

Would find that I was a shadow all along.

©Arimi Martha

This poem is part of the January 31st 2011 Free Theme & Style Poetry Competition. You have until February 26th 2011 to read and vote for it. Please comment and indicate your opinion of the poem on a scale of 1 to 5.

1 – Very weak

2 – Poor

3 – Ok

4 – Good

5 – Amazing!