The Beast In The Shadow

Headlights pierced the tree lined darkness

Limb over limb, webbed canopies

Secrets kept, the light a witness

veiled the moonlit vanities

Tales to tell, soft lips kept silent

the wind and the willows whisper and whine

Coming, a storm, restless and violent

things in the shadows, keep them in line

Follow the path to the edge of the river

sit on the banks, let the water caress

The chill in the air, makes a courageous man shiver

but he stands bold and brave all alone, nonetheless

The water is cold, running fast, is the current

the farther he wades the fear grows deep inside

His blood running cold, becoming a servant

to the thing in the shadows, he no longer can hide

Pale and weak, he surrenders his body

no power to fight, he lies still on the ground

The beast from the shadows appears, disembodied

devoured the man like a starving wild hound

Taking new form, the beast slips into the darkness

adjusting this body, like a new suit and tie

Silently he waits all alone in the stillness

for one who dares his domain to pass by