Mutiny of the Shadows- a poem

Shadows are everywhere.
They shift and change spots,
Always connected to my sole.
I can’t escape them.
Even if I could fly, they would still find
A way to follow me.

But now in a world going dark
They are mutinying on me.
My shadow pulls away from me-
Chasing me, surrounding me.
I have nowhere to run or hide.
I am defenseless and shrouded over.

I call to God as the shadows swarm.
In my despair I cry for shelter.
The shadows draw in closer,
Bearing their claws and fangs.
All seems lost to me,
As if my soul is forfeited to the dark.

Then suddenly light, light all around.
I am pulsating beneath the skin
With bright, blinding light.
I know that the Lion of Judah has come-
To defend me, to drive back the night,
And to destroy the dark about me.

It is nothing I do that erodes
This darkness about me,
Only this great and good Lion.
His roar blasts out and shatters the dark.
The light runs out along the ground and in the air
Like a nuclear blast, rippling outward.

Finally I rise, as the Lion approaches.
I try to look him in the eyes,
But there is such light and power there
That I am forced to look away.
I mumble something like a thanks
But it feels weirdly pathetic.

The Lion licks my forehead and says,
“You need not thank me. It was my pleasure.
The only thing you had to do was
Call out, and you did. Now you are marked
As mine forever. I empower you to
Go out into the darkness and bring my light.”

As he speaks I realize I am changing.
I am changing both inside and out.
Inside, my heart is bursting with light and joy,
And outside I am turning into a warrior.
Armor, a sword, shield and helmet-
All made of crystal- grew around me.

Where he had licked my head
There grew a blindingly bright white cross.
Then the Lion said, “Go. Push back the darkness.
Fight that which almost destroyed you.
It will not be easy, but it will succeed
Because I have sealed you as my own.”

I take up my sword and shield
And make a march towards the dark horizon.
The Great Lion walks with me awhile,
But eventually he vanishes.
He is not gone though-
I can still feel him with me.

He said it will not be easy,
And I pray for strength as I walk.
The darkness draws nearer.
I meet and recruit other warriors
Ordained by the Great Lion.
The battle will be long, but the reward is worth it.

My heart is at peace knowing that he is there.
Knowing also that I have fellow soldiers
Fighting faithfully at my side.
We are gaining strength and drawing closer to the dark.
It is time to take the fight to the darkness, To rebel on those mutinous shadows.