Are There Shadows in Summer?

If so, I scarcely see them

Photo by Ben Wilkins on Unsplash

Are there shadows
in summer?
If so,
I scarcely
see them.

Like a child, too often my attention is drawn
to what is bright and new.

But in winter there is little
to snare my curious eyes

except the sprawling shadows
beneath the naked trees.

Shifting and amorphous, engendered by moon
or sunlight, shadows too often go unnoticed.

Whether summer or winter
seen or unseen
shadows are part of our lives
fleeting and mysterious,
elusive as our dreams.

This short poem came to me as I looked out my second story window and noticed the long, attenuated shadows under the forest trees that stand very close to the boundaries of my rural property.

I thought to myself, “Why don’t I pay more attention to shadows? Surely there are just as many, probably more shadows, every day of the year if there is sunlight or moonlight to cast them.”