Where Shadows Roam Alone

The woods were my classroom, silence my decree,
No blackboards etched, no lessons handed me.
I shunned the march of boots, the teacher's drone,
And built my world where shadows roamed alone.

The woods embraced me, secrets in their sway,
Yet yearnings whispered, longing for the day.
The pines sang secrets, sunlight kissed the ferns,
My soul a hermit, sheltered from life's burns.

Before the whispers, hints of laughter's silver spark,
My heart a fortress, held within the dark.
But then, one dusk, a melody unbound,
A firefly of laughter, twirling all around.

A stranger's voice, a smile both sly and bright,
A whispered jest beneath the fading light.
His eyes, twin embers, danced with borrowed charm,
Luring me from silence, safe from life's alarm.

His laughter rang like windchimes in the sun,
A silver tongue that spun tales on the run.
He spoke of freedom, danced on razor's edge,
His reckless spirit, like a wildfire's pledge.

He painted nights with neon's gaudy gleam,
A symphony of shadows, not what it did seem.
We chased the dragon, hearts lit by its flame,
Ignoring whispers of our destined shame.

Between his grin, a viper's glint concealed,
His whispers sweet, like honey laced with steel.
He'd plant a doubt, a seed of discontent,
Twisting truths, like shadows' cruel descent.