“In Shadows” is Jason Leonard’s first collection of poetry. He writes introspective dark poems of love, betrayal, self-loathing and the perception of beauty. A truthful look into a time of heightened confusion and sorrow in his life, Jason explores the complications of keeping his life and relationships together while trying to find his place in the world. As is customary for a lot of Jason’s work, many of his poems have double meanings. In Remembrance, “Will the wind ever remember the day it blew away my soul, and returned it to the earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” he uses religious symbolism to convey his message even though there is very little of his work that has a religious theme. Perhaps it’s the observational almost monologue approach to his writing but there’s a level of truth here not found in most works of poetry. In The Fool, Jason admits “I breathe as if I will always, I long for the softness of your touch. The struggle to find himself in a world that prides itself on its ironic sense of detachment is a constant reminder of his never-ending search to find meaning. In Perception, Jason finally discovers “And life is not in beauty, beauty is in life, and beauty is all in how you perceive.” “In Shadows” will take you on a journey through the boundaries and complexities of human emotions.