Where Is My Friend?
The shadow I cast when I stand
in the sun has disappeared
beneath the trees, shadows
of crows over the roof
of the post office, or the field
of clover they fly above, throats
open, stitching the world
together with a fine thread,
doing the work of belonging.
Nothing is too trivial to love
enough to walk toward it,
your footsteps leaving
badges on the earth, even
the nettles that chafe
your ankles worthy of love,
sparks of pain, like your
shadow, that prove
you’re alive.
Copyright © 2026 by Dorianne Laux. Originally published in Poem-a-Day on March 24, 2026, by the Academy of American Poets.
“‘Where Is My Friend?’ was written during a weekly Zoom workshop with a group of poet friends. We create a prompt among us and write from random words and a phrase, which in this case was, ‘Where is my friend?,’ and one of the words was shadow. I have thought a lot about our shadow side, how it’s not as explored or integrated into our consciousness. And yet it’s a part of us; it has power and deserves to be seen and accepted in order to be whole. This is only on reflection though, as the poem came through without much thought or struggle; it merely emerged with a gentle push. Maybe it was my shadow speaking to me, saying ‘Hey, I’m here, I’m your friend, write about me.’”
—Dorianne Laux
Dorianne Laux
The author of several collections of poetry, Dorianne Laux was the recipient of the Oregon Book Award and a finalist for the National Books Critics Circle Award for her book Facts About the Moon. She was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2020.