There’s a shadow outside my window when I go to bed at night

It’s crumpled at the base, a little bit of a fright

At least I don’t see a face

But it’s a little taller each night

Every day I watch the sun start on one side then go down on the other

What am I doing underneath it

Life moves like a time lapse

I rush and work but am I going anywhere

I try to fill the gaps

Does anyone care

Summer comes and goes

I watch it outside the window

Colors there change

I expect that thing outside will disappear soon

Just like people, mere shadows

One sunny winter day I sat in the front yard near the window

A lanky teen walked up dressed in ragged clothes

She asked me for some food and a blanket

The sun was setting and I asked where she’d been

She said, “Right over there, just a few months back when the flowers were golden”

Then she collapsed

I thought back

Her bushy hair was like the outline of that shadow I’d seen outside my room

How ironic that a winter garden became her tomb

The sun illuminated her body and made it glow

The sun quickly sat on the other side of the house

There lay her silhouette under my window

It was too late for me to help out