Confronting Shadows

How do I confront the enemy I can't see? Only its shadows on the ground surround me. A dark cloud that comes and goes and then returns, its essence is difficult to discern. Like a stain that never fully disappears, it brings pain, disappointment, anger, fear. Throughout my life, I've been vaguely aware of this strange malevolence in the air. It never shows its face. Like an ugly scar, it shines ill-fated light like some evil star. Tired of discord, disharmony and strife, I've gone another direction all my life. But, beholding all that's been said and done, I see it's not something I can outrun. The time has come for me to stand and face the vile presence I could not erase. If only I could fathom it and grasp the nature of its poison like an asp, and unravel its insidious mystery. Could it be something in my history? What are you, some kind of wicked curse, or is it something in my DNA, or worse? Will, one day, your cruel battle be won, as my rotting corpse shines 'neath the sun?