Shadow

I have courted solitude,
made peace with silence.
The rythmic thumping in my chest
echoes a name familiar--
yet unknown.

I hear children laugh, giggle even.
Their sounds of bliss
summon a time now out of reach.
It's dark ouside-
the playground, empty.

Pausing beneath the streetlight,
a reflection of my soul appears.
If I begin to walk,
will it follow?