Out for a walk on a windy winter evening

I wanted to go for a walk

I didn't want to venture out

I dithered and dallied, finally

Did decide to step out.

The friend I called to speak didn't pick my call.

The book I had been listening to didn't call out to me.

The song I had recently been binge-ing on sounded wearying.

My usual playlist was on infinite skip.

Maybe it was the time to just be by myself, with myself.

Am I fun to hang out with, time to find out!

So off I went, airpods back in case,

Walking on, trying to be in the present. 

The cold forced me to pay attention,

The wind faithfully supported the cause.

The occasional car ferrying its driver home,

The sidewalks devoid of any people. 

My hands found warmth deep in the coat pockets

The sliver of skin between the leggings and the boots didn't

I kept my head held low, out of respect for the cold,

The jacket hood could not keep out the howling wind.

With every lamp post I passed

I watched my shadow grow longer and shorter

Unlocked a core memory

Memories carried from childhood

Attempting shadow puppetry (I only mastered a couple of poses)

From illustrations on the back of notebooks

Watching the size and shape of shadows change

With different light sources from different directions

I now remember why 

I liked to walk in the dark

I remember l liked watching my shadow

At least my shadow was tall and thin.