Zoe's Latest Poem

Lingering Shadows

Lingering Shadow
No matter how much I push
and try to force you away
you still remain here
lodged in my heart;
etched in my memories;
lost in my dreams.
No matter how I resist you
you still remain here
hiding within me
searching for something
I claim not to have.
And yet, every time
when I think of you,
you slip through my fingers
and flee from my grasp.
You are my future,
my present,
my past.
Every time I reach for you
I clasp empty air.
Every time I call to you,
and dream of you,
my dear.
I cannot escape you,
you’re just out of reach.
I know I can't have you,
that right has been taken.
Still, every time you’re in sight,
my feet will move forwards,
my arms will extend,
I’ll fall flat on my face dear
and you’ll be gone once again.
But in spite of that,
because of that too,
I will never stop chasing.
I'll follow forever,
those traces of you
will not yet be gone.
If you cannot leave me,
I refuse to move on.
I will keep trying to catch you
forever my dear,
my demon,
my shadow,
forever stay near.

This is the revised version. You can see how Zoë thought throug her edits here. Revise, edit, revise. A key to great writing. She's 14. Yes, I'm her father, but I am truly impressed.