Daily Cascade

Shadows, Soft or Strong

Prompt: Shadows
What does a shadow suggest to you? Do you like shadows that are soft and light or those that are dark and strong?

----------

When I was a very little kid, I was afraid of my shadow, if only because my mother scared me, due to her practical wisdom, by saying that, "Whatever you say and do, your shadow will tell me, so tell me the truth always."

Surely, there was an existential truth in her words that still rings through my life, and possibly in everyone's life, for what we hide can become our shadow.

Fact is, whether they tell on us or not, shadows are the quiet companions of light. They form when something blocks the path of light, depending on the intensity of the light source and the distance between the object (or me) and the light source. In other words, the stronger the light, the weaker the shadow.

As such, soft and light shadows are gentle, even barely noticeable, like whispers. They come about, calm and subtle, under diffused light, as on a cloudy day or near a dim lamp, possibly suggesting serenity and do not demand much attention.

On the flip side, dark and strong shadows are bold and strongly visible, suggesting mystery, intensity, and even fear. We can often see them in cinematic scenes where tension is high for the movie-makers have mastered how to use shadows to enhance a scene. This is because a strong shadow tells a strong story.

Frankly, I have nothing against shadows, whether they are soft or strong. They are, with their often blurry edges, reflections of what we call real. This may be because each plays a different role, but both speak the language of light. I bet, however, they don't have enough language to talk to the mothers of tiny little kids, at all.