The Shadow Stone Law

The weathered sign by the cemetery gate
Is painted in faded red:
“When passing through Fairlawn’s ancient arch,
Do not step on the cobblestone, step on the larch.”
No elder down on Broadway remembers the night,
Or why we avoid the stone,
Or what had occurred near the dusty track
When a traveler walked alone.
We single-file past the red-dirt drive,
Careful and light-of-toe,
Eyeing the dull gray paving block
Where the prairie winds never blow.
The children whisper it like a rhyme
On their walk home from the square,
Though the gusting air through the pecan trees
Sounds like a warning there.
For last fall, young Thomas, to prove he was brave,
Set his boot on the stone with a sneer—
And the ground beneath swallowed his shadow whole,
Though Thomas is standing right here.
He walks down 3rd Street, quiet and pale,
His eyes like two hollows of frost,
Never stepping on wood, never speaking a word,
Forever untethered and lost.
So we bow our heads in the October chill
And tread on the timber, aligned—
Observing a law whose reason is dead,
Lest we leave our shadows behind.

halloweenoctoberspiritualnarrative

♡Like0

Poem

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.