My favorite thing to do with this poem is to show it to people, who always tell me their interpretation of it and then ask me what I meant when I wrote it. I always smile in response and merely say that it’s whatever they want it to mean. No one has ever come up with the same interpretation.

I sit, wait.
Where are others?
Take too long.
Wind come.
Sun go down.
Trees move.
Tree shadows not move.
Too many,
Too large.
Not tree shadows.
Place not good.
Wind make fire dim.
I wait too long.
Should leave.
Sun gone,
Only fire now.
I talk to Shadows.
No answer.
Wind stronger.
Fire now small.
No more wood.
Now Shadows move.
Shadows not part of trees.
Shadows laugh, whisper, dance.
Dance around fire.
Dance wrong.
Too quick,
Too loud,
Too jerky.
Shadows talk now.
Strange talk with no words.
I not like this.
Shadows make fire go.
No light,
Only night.
Others not come ever.
I scared.
Try to run but cannot leave.
Shadows grab throat of me.
Claw, scratch, squeeze.
No air.
No breath.
I fight but Shadows too strong.
Shadows laugh, whisper, dance…

Only dark, only quiet.