Shadow People

hello welcome to DU dearest poet
I was wondering just today about these spirits
where do they come from who are they
I often think this is a very beautiful world for some
while for others fraught with peril
I wonder if these demons were a failed experiment
that those of us who got the unlucky number are tormented by...

great write...

"The word Dapaa could had vowel changes and became the present day Duppy, to mean ancestral spirit. In Obeah, a person is believed to possess two souls — a good soul and an earthly soul. In death, the good soul goes to heaven to be judged by God, while the earthly spirit remains for three days in the coffin with the body, where it may escape if proper precautions are not taken, and appear as a duppy."

-- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duppy

Hello there and welcome to DU.

I love that this was tagged as homeless. On the surface it’s about those that have passed on, but when you think about it, it also applies to the homeless community in real life and how people choose to ignore them. As if they walk the Earth like ghosts.

There was a lot to unpack here and I thought it was skilfully written.

Thank you for sharing.

-M

I am encouraged that you pick up on ambiguity in my verse. My situation was that I was homeless for almost a year and witnessed these shadow people on numerous occasions - often only in the edge of my vision at night, but sometimes complete with discernible faces floating above me. Sleep deprivation, lack of medication and psychosis would be the scientific explanation, but that was certainly not the way I rationalised about it at the time. I thought I was in touch with the spirit world.
- L

All too relatable. I also slept rough for a period of time.

Thank you for that share.

-M

Enjoyed this. That these "flitting" spirits might bring strength was a fresh view for me. Good write!