There are moments in childhood when the
world needs no explanation.
Light, body, and imagination meet
without effort,
and play becomes a way of discovering
the self.
This poem captures such a fleeting
instant—
where a child, his shadow, and the
spring sun
share a quiet, joyful conversation.
“Playing with Shadows”
The spring sun still hangs high.
With the light at his back, a long shadow
stretches out.
A boy in short sleeves plays with the image
it casts.
He spreads his legs, then lifts one foot.
Not freely, like kung fu,
but moving arms and legs,
he enjoys the changes all by himself.
The spring sun envelops the boy.
The shadow insists on being another self.
A self grown long and large,
extended across the ground.
For a moment, seeing himself look so fine,
the boy smiled.