The Long Shadow

The long shadow is cast,
and comes to haunt again.
Thought to be forgotten--
it returns from the past.
The long shadow darkens,
and makes the light faint.
It grows in fields, houses,
and the moors--it harkens.
The long shadow seduces,
and it takes your fears.
It feeds on anger and regret,
and it never sets them loose.
The long shadow enslaves,
but it seems to befriend.
Smiling, courting, and musing,
it begins to dig their graves.
The long shadow dooms--
its lure is power and wantoness.
Promises kept and broken--
it plans to prey and consume.
The long shadow is near,
and it will not be long;
before you encounter it--
Prepare! for it is already here!