Twilight of the Hypergraph

The shadow’s not the shadow

Of the body but body

Of the soul, wrote Oscar Wilde.

Now we know that the network

Is the shadow of the thing,

Said Josh Grochow, recently.

And the shadow of the thing

Is its meaning, say meanings.

After all, what are shadows

But slightly diluted light,

Hinting at such obstacles

As alter the path of light?

The bodily thing, the dense

Concatenation of waves

That casts the shadow’s the source

That shadow readers long for—

Whether they scrutinize souls

Or networks for their meanings,

They want to know what it is

That interferes with the light

Inside of their skulls at night.