Shadow's Shadows

Depending on the cloud cover,    
the time of day, and which way I face    
a shadow lies sometimes behind me,    
often in front,    
occasionally beneath my feet.    
    
The story goes something like this:    
I take a one-edged sword    
- a prize I was given after many years shadow-dancing -    
and dice the shadow like an onion into many slices    
laying them out in my cave to see what new shapes I can make.    
   
Hours later, my lover comes in with a single candle    
and the shadow-pieces fall into a kind of trance    
softly wrapping themselves around her body …    
in a way she likes to be caressed.    
   
When morning-light arrives    
(we have no curtains, and two roof windows are open to the stars)    
the shadow has returned to its regular configurations    
offering a new start to this daily game.    
I walk downstairs, pen in hand    
and today,    
            this is the first result.