When the Shadow Took the Day Off

Because the sun wasn’t bright,
the shadow had no chores.
He slept in. That felt right.
He let the time go by.

Amused by his own snores,
like a loud lullaby
he had not heard before,
he got up and brewed

a few cups of green tea.
The steam rose and entwined
like thick muscadine vines.
Maybe chocolate too?

“Well, Don’t mind if I do”
What liberation! Not
to have to do as told.
What about a nice stroll,

a nice walk to the park?
Meaninglessness feels nice!
It was cloudy, not dark.
At the corner, he stopped.
Flashing signs invited
him to cross. “Walk with light.”
He watched as they changed. Twice.

Paul Jones

Paul Jones has published poetry in many journals, including Poetry, Georgia Review, Southern Review, and North Carolina Literary Review, but also in cookbooks, travel anthologies, in a collection about passion, in a collection about love, and in The Best American Erotic Poems: 1800 – Present (from Scribner). In the past year, he was nominated for two Pushcart Prizes and one Best of the Web Award. His chapbook, What the Welsh and Chinese Have in Common, was a North Carolina Writers Network winner.