This piece speaks to the shadow side of experiencing the first signs of becoming older and losing your inner child. This could be about many things that may take our innocence.

Sun is asleep and the darkness creeps.
The child looks with alertness
Fearing locking eyes with the recurring figure that invites itself in.

In time of twilight, the child’s panic
Manifests its nightmare
Sun is asleep and the darkness creeps.

Yearning to be in the arms of solace
The child has regrettably opened the door
Forced to be faced with the embodiment of its duality

An imposing shadow with the shape of horrors,
A maelstrom of discomposure.
Sun is asleep and the darkness creeps.

Alas, the child’s fear of contrast
And its personification of obstructive emotions
Has come to make its presence known once more
They have become one.

Process

This is a piece I started back in undergrad while I was in the Creative Writing program. My Poetic Techniques professor, Carlie Hoffman, encouraged my class to write a refrain poem, which led to the structuring of this poem.
As for the inspiration behind what it is about, I wrote the first draft of this poem during a time when I was reflecting on some childhood things that I hadn’t realized as a child was affecting me. I wanted to reflect on the other side of what innocence was and the reality of some things that come with getting older.