THE SHADOW
It has followed me for years,
I have seen It slim and tall;
When the day its distance wears,
It has lengthened on the wall;
Slanting black
On my track,
I have felt Its presence fall.
Oft I flee at break of day,
But It races as I ride;
Oft I seek to slink away,
But It slouches at my side;
Or It steals
On my heels,
As the bridegroom to the bride.
As I roam along the track
Of the vagrants o’er the leas;
Oft I mark one glancing back,
And I ask him what he sees—
But they laugh
As they chaff,
“’Tis his shadow that he flees!”
I shall ask of one I love,
Pointing to Its passage fleet,
As along the ways we rove,
What It is that haunts the street.
She will say,
“Nay, nay, nay,
’Tis the shadow at your feet!”
I shall wink and see the trick—
Do they dream that I am blind?
I have but to turn, and quick,
On my pathway I shall find
That It wags,
And It lags,
But It follows close behind.
All the night It hides Its shape
In the dusk beside my bed;
If my vigil I escape,
If I once but turn my head,
While I sleep,
It will creep,
Till I lie beneath It dead.
And the end at last shall come,
Weariness will close my eyes,
I shall fall before It dumb,
When unto my heart It flies.
It will gloat
O’er my throat,
As Its length upon me lies.
JUSTICE
They cursed her with the curse of God,
They smote her with His awful Name:
With brands of fire they branded her,
And brands of shame.