In the Shadows

In the shadows beneath my consciousness
Dwells a me I barely know
A me of many parts

A friend
A saboteur
A healer
A destroyer
A revolutionary
A gatekeeper
A liberator
A prisoner
An advocate
A critic

All these aspects
Of shadow me
And so many more
Express themselves
In thought, desire and deed
Without consent
Without awareness
Of the me I once believed
Was the only me

Awakening to their existence
Marks the necessity of a journey

The journey begins
With introductions
And acceptance

Where it ends
I cannot know
But I suppose integration
Marks the milestone along the path
Where I become the one
I always believed I was