She asked don’t you get lonely working here

Meaning

Working mostly by myself as a church secretary for a dying congregation in a world with an abundance of beliefs but only a spare change of faith with only the ancient dead of the church cemetery buried as deep as their stories and the fading inked leaves of weddings and baptisms

to keep me company don’t I get lonesome

I thought for a moment wondering about my shadow

if my shadow self could feast on all the questions slung my way

If thin dark could gorge on small talk and long talks and meaningful interactions

Would my shadow grow fat and glossy

Snapping off like an early spring tomato to protect me

From the weight of listening

Of the noose of needing to be patient

The crush of being everything to everyone

With no one for me

And the real me could lurch in dim corners

Or slip between book pages

And wait for my shadow’s return

No, I said

Meaning

Yes for my shadow