Sparkling Sassy Shadows
LII.
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) shouldn’t be turning over in his grave if I parody one of my favorite of his “Child’s Garden Of Verses” poems. I loved them all and had to recite them on demand as a kid, but "My Shadow" especially!
It always conjured up such images of a shadow’s odd behavior and especially the part about “like an India rubber ball”. I knew about shooting basketballs up into baskets, but having no idea what an India rubber ball was, I felt sure it must be something really exotic and fascinating, as I tried to visualize and ponder how that must work if a shadow mimicked it’s shooting up action! It was plenty of food for thought!
And of course - the real kid in the poem would have been ashamed to stick to “nursie” like the shadow stuck to him or her. I had no idea what a “nursie” was, except that my Aunt Annie Laurie was a nurse, but what that profession had to do with kids - puzzled me.
Anyway - I’ve been pondering the shadow phenomenon in the light of being a grownup with a bit larger shadow who acts pretty much the same as the little one did when I was a kid, but now - India rubber balls are more like hot-air balloons and nursie is more like by HubPages avatar. So I thought - why not stretch it a bit and play with images and ideas it conjures up now.
First, my parody, with apologies to R.L.S. I gave his wording enough exposure and audience as a kid to claim some sort of leeway and playing around rights now ~ all with the utmost respectfulness, of course.
My Shadow (Parody)
I had a little shadow
That went in and out with me,
And what could be the use of her
Was more than I could see.
She was almost very like me
From her heels up to her head
And I would see her jump before me
When I jumped into my bed.
The silliest thing about her
Was the way she loved to grow,
Not at all like regular children
Which are always super slow.
Sometime she’d shoot up tall
Like an India-rubber ball
While other times she’d shrink so tiny
That there was none of her at all!
She never had an idea of how
Children ought to play
And would only make a fool of me
In every kind of way.
She’d stay so close beside me,
What a coward, I could see.
I’d think shame to stick to mama
Like that shadow’d stick to me.
But ONE morning, -oh - quite early,
Before Old Sol was up,
I rose to find the sparkling dew
On every buttercup!
But that useless little shadow?
Like a lazy sleepy-head,
She’d stayed at home behind me
And was FAST asleep in bed!
Of course,
Time marches on!
People grow up and into lives,
Out of childhood.
There is humor and pathos in it,
And always -
There are shadows.
Some are sparkly;
Some are sassy.
Some shimmer,
Some shiver.
But our shadows,
Are those
Video silhouettes,
Mimicking who we are.
______© Nellieanna H. Hay
Big Girl Shadows!
Stark fantasy ~
More stark
Than reality ~
Lurks about.
______© Nellieanna H. Hay
The shadows
Are in black and white,
No pink or green or umber.
Their dazzle is within.
Their tints of bright
Are angel-glow;
Their shades of dark,
The evil twin.
When one is out,
The others hide
To better plan or sin.
But at the eve,
They all abide
Partaking peaceful slumber.
______© Nellieanna H. Hay
