Eclipse

We’re extremely numerous
And superbly camouflaged.
Your shadows are homes to us.

We split when you step on us.
Most of you host one of us,
Aligned opposite the light.

No, we’re not innocuous.
Yes, we are your parasites,
But we’ve been coevolving

With you so long the balance
Is judicious, a burden
Necessary to your life,

You’ve come to think. You’ll never
Catch us by watching yourself,
Examining your shadow.

We’re sure to hug the outline
Of any shade you give us.
You’re our permanent eclipse.

If you hope to catch a glimpse,
Find a crowded, sunlit spot
With no other light but sun,

Not too close to twilight, but
Well on either side of noon.
Watch the ground where people walk.

Relax. Don’t hyperfocus.
See how all the shadows point
Along the same alignment?

When someone steps directly
Across another’s shadow,
Watch for a faint reversal,

A shadow that seems to jump
The wrong way in the brief crush.
We just made another us.