Mark W. Humphries - Journal Four

Mark W. Humphries - Journal Four

Nyctophobia: Fear of the Dark

or

Me and My Shadow(s)?

Assembly Square
Somerville, MA

Missing My Shadow

As I write this I look out the window upon a grey sky.  But not an ordinary grey sky.  The sky is a perfectly flat grey with no variation at all.  Like a photographer’s medium grey backdrop.  The light is so even and low that there are almost no shadows at all.

My shadow, which is always with me, is gone.  Disappeared into the grey.  Shadows show us the three dimensionality of the world.  But not today.  Today the world looks flat and grey and lifeless.




Fear of The Dark

     What is the dark?
     It is a shadow.
     The shadow of the world.

Like many children, I was afraid of the dark.
As an adult, I completely lost my fear of the dark.

Now it’s just an inconvenience.
To not be able to see where I'm going.

Oops, the lights just went out.
Now where is that damn flashlight.
Ouch, I just stubbed my toe on the way to find it.

OK, not afraid of the dark.
But perhaps a healthy respect for it.