Through the dark night on a starless and pale moonlight
He lurks from behind, nowhere to go to
Just wandering the streets, hiding from the crowd
His sullen face masked
But beyond that scarred countenance is a dark past
That continues to haunt him down.
He may be aloof, be misunderstood by silly, shallow people
Deep down he has a gentle heart
Yet hardened by great blows he has yet to forget.
In each one of us is the phantom’s shadow
Longing for more than just empathy
We struggle so much to find our niche in this judgemental world
To be embraced by all despite our frailties, shortcomings and flaws.
Why can’t the world just leave him alone
And erase the stigma of him being different from the rest, an outcast?
Give him space to breathe, to live peacefully, have his share and prove his worth?
Through the dark alleys, there is where he hides
Hoping his day would finally come and can break free from the chains
Like any one of us all he wishes for is to find true happiness
And all he’s asking from strangers is a little kindness
Everyone of us long to be accepted for who we are
To fit in the crowd and not be left out
How do we bring forth peace in this world
When all we do is throw stones at each other instead of living harmoniously?
Elizabeth E. Castillo © 2010
” The Phantom’s Shadow ” conveys a great deal of empathy and compassion.It reminded me a lot of other narratives about the marginalised and misunderstood,such as ” Dr.Jeckyll and Mr.Hyde ” as well as ” The Phantom of the Opera “.
Of all the virtues , mercy is to my mind, a great attribute of a lady ! Mrs Lizy could have made a great Judge had she not been a poet.
Thanks for the wonderful comments ! This piece has been featured in 2 international anthologies already and readers often tell me they can relate to it. 🙂