FLEDGLING- Issue Three (08/02/2020)

Image Source: ArcheiaMuriel/Flickr

Shadows

Written by Grace Nask

We are the shadows within the night,

The lone birds of prey trying to

Survive in a world turned savage.

We steal and cheat and lie and

Live. We live. Like our ancestors before us.

We ride alone, fueled by the need of sustenance. The desire

Left unsatisfied by the dwindling wooded areas and the

Half-hearted attempts to help. We are passed help. We are abandoned.

We are the falcons killed by electric wires the

Vultures fed by carrion the

Bald eagles, revered yet hunted and once

Endangered.

And we have dreams, us shadows, to

Fly, fly, fly far away from here.

But for now, we must live each day to get through the next,

By whatever means we have.

We are the shadows within the night

Who do what we can to fly.

Who do what we must to touch the sky.

Who do what’s necessary to survive.

We are the shadows within the night.

We are the shadows enduring the light.

Author Bio: Grace Nask is a Hufflepuff who wishes she could turn into a cat. She will be attending the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference in the fall and will also have two poems titled “The Power of the Sun” and “Twinkle, Little Star, Until You Fade Out” published by Down in the Dirt Literary Magazine in December. One could learn more about her by visiting her website at https://gracenask.wixsite.com/books and her WattPad (under Grace Nask) and Facebook (as Grace Nask’s Books and Manuscripts) profiles.