The Shadows of the Trees
by Edward D. Clark, Jr.
I was sitting by the fire
When I saw the distant light
Approaching through the forest
Though it was not very bright
Where was the singing whippoorwill
And voices of the night?
The silence that surrounded me
Intensified my fright
I asked myself, "What's there to fear?
Another lonely one
But though I had no place to go
I know I should have run
Instead I tended to my fire
To make a brighter blaze
When I looked back the light was gone
Which put me in a daze
Then I began to wonder
If my weary eyes were wrong
My mind and body were quite tired
From hiking all day long
So I laid on my sleeping bag
Began to close my eyes
When suddenly the unseen terror
Took me by surprise
No longer do I fear things
That are hidden from my sight
No longer am I scared of beings
Wand'ring through the night
For now I wander through the woods
My eyes glow like a fire
I crouch outside the loners' camps
And wait for them to tire
It's then I strike
Their semi-conscious screams of terror cease
Then they too, join me
Wand'ring through the shadows of the trees
Copyright Edward D. Clark, Jr.