Self-Portrait with Shadow
Sometimes light reveals our thoughts.
Separate and unequal, we blend.
The predominant sibilant in English,
its pronunciation varies.
Sciaphobia is the fear of shadows. Last
winter the wellhead froze and we
chain-sawed our way to warmth,
synchronized in the fading light.
And which decides the other’s fate?
In the flame I detect new life, a hissing
in the cast iron box. Though ranked only 8th
in frequency of use, more words in English
begin with S, leaving additional questions.
Is hiss the opposite of shh?
The umbra is the darkest part
of the shadow, where light is completely
blocked. Not the serpent, but the bow
and a misperception. Shadows grow
in proportion to the distance
between the object blocking the light
and the projection surface. Resembling
infinity, yet missing the link. Two facets
of one darkness. A faint suggestion. Amphiscians
cast shadows in two directions. Or not at all.
This appeared on the blog in April 2015, and another version appeared in Otoliths in fall of 2013, but it appears that I’m not quite done with it. I’d been exploring our alphabet, tracing letters’ origins from hieroglyphs to present form, and attempting to merge some of those findings with disparate details. One of these days I’ll get back to it…
A Q&A and more successful examples of what I was trying to achieve can be found at Prime Number Magazine:
O at the Edges 
No one plays with words as beautifully as you do.
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Aw, shucks. Thank you, Leslie! 😊
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Ah Robert a shadowy tale, and of course I’ve learnt another new word, Amphiscians, such an interesting phenomena.
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Shadows have long been a fascination…
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A published poem of mine, This Lost Shadow
https://ivors20.wordpress.com/2017/06/07/this-lost-shadow/
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A heartfelt, lovely poem, Ivor.
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Great wordplay, Bob. Now, schiaphobia and amphiscian – I’m sure I can slip them in somewhere – if I can remember them
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Aren’t they wonderful words?
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Yep
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😀
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“The umbra is the darkest part of the shadow” I like this line. It makes the S relate to the letter E. The eclipse that blocks the light. Wonderful layers in just that line that echoes your title and intention.
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I’m so pleased you liked that line. Thanks very much.
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Opened this poem right next to an article that has a picture of a snake. Can I say S for synchronicity (and snake)?! Another lovely poem, Bob!
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Yes! And thanks, DJ!
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“Hiss” is just the perfect word for the letter s. (K)
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It certainly seems to fit.
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Chain-sawing their way to warmth; the shadow cast by the cutter and the wood—evocative images coupled with the hissing of the iron firebox in a frozen cabin. Very nice.
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Thanks, Pablo. Much appreciated.
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You have a beautiful way with words!
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Thanks very much.
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