Shadow, Shade and Stars

Shadow, Shade and Stars

By Armando Ortiz

Under the shade of the eastern face, 

the shadows of the day gave way

to a flickering sparkle of night; 

a tiny light in the sky appeared.

In the shadow of the mountain,

the sun sank behind the western ridge, 

and the summer winds cleaned the sky; 

more stars began to emerge.

Under the stars, I sat beside a rock 

that shaded me from the wind. 

Towards the eastern horizon,

the moon began to cross the shadow plane.

Beneath the shadow of earth, 

the crescent moon appeared; 

speckles of glass marbles scattered, 

dawn became a portuguese tiled floor.

Inside the shade of the pass, 

a warm breeze swept down the valley. 

The purple shadow became a blue mosaic 

that spread across the dye of darkness.

Under the stars,

the shade of trees 

and shadows of rocks 

merged with the night.

Within the darkness of time, 

shadows roamed the forest; 

fires floated in the shade of an ocean, 

on the horizon, fireflies flickered.

Covered by the shade of sleep,

I dreamt of shadows that blended into each other 

while the northern constellations of night slowly 

ascended and descended from the sky.