I chose this poem because I feel the shadow elements Hirshfield talks about really come through with it's closing lines. Hirshfield describes shadow in poetry as "Those aspects of self which most discomfort," (166). The final sentence of this poem feels like it unleashes the inner darkness, or 'Lion,' of the speaker. This poem seems to be an expression of inner turmoil, entered through the gate of touch and emotion with the asphyxiation imagery, and ending in a dark place that Hirshfield describes as its shadow.