Memory and  Shadow

Dancing shadows on the wall

Spinning and weaving, down the hall

Grotesque yet beautiful, they fire the imagination

Poetry and saga, songs and inspiration

Of monsters and demons and fearsome beast

Heroes and dragons, and tales from the East

Filling the children with excitement and dread

Cowering beneath blanket, tucked up in their bed

In comfort and safety, snug and secure

While winter vents her fury against window and door

Outside, in the darkness and the cold

Winter tightens her icy hold

And holds the world in her frozen grip

The wild wind bites and cuts like a whip

Like a hungry wolf, it howls and cries

A crescendo of fury it rises,then dies

Flickering  images in the firelight

Sparks take flight and escape in the night

Illuminating the darkness between shadows and shades

Sparkling for a moment, then flickers and fades

What secrets do they keep and hold ?

Of conversations heard and stories told

Gathered by the hearthstone, in the fiery glow

Where memories are created, born and grow

A time, to release, to relinquish and surrender

To relax and recharge, to reflect and remember

Those who have gone, leaving dreams and memories

Ancient rituals, prayers and ceremonies

Like the ancient ones in their stony tomb

Perhaps they just slumber in that dark, cold womb

On jagged peaks, under rock and stone

For their brave deeds they must atone

For a fleeting moment, they live again,

In the ancient sagas of Gods and men

Reborn in memories, in saga and song

While all around them, Life goes on…

1. Denis Murphy 03 May 2018