CAVE TOUR

Inside the earth
follow the vein
down into the womb
of rock and dirt
there is plenty of time here
eons of time
washed down into limestone
Dolomite
carved rock
made into artwork
with sweeps of water
and strokes of genius
of creepy nooks and cavities
of mudslides
stalagmites
shapes in the ceiling
shapes on the walls
everything looks like
something else
who was the sculptor
who the humorist
watch your head watch your step
look up look down
there the queen's throne
there the eagle's wings
there the well that has no bottom
ghosts of Comanches
Confederates
CCC boys hauling dirt in wheelbarrows
picks and shovels
worked by hand by
kerosene lamps
tales o tales of finders keepers
of bats & blind salamanders &
cannibalism
prohibition
trolls in the tunnels
turn out the lights
it is too dark to see
the hand in front of your face
flip the switch again
there be the gaggle of tourists
who wandered down here
like yourself
with the universal curiosity
about what lies underneath us
down a crack down a hole
inside outside
not wanting to miss seeing
the very steps of hell.


© d.knape
May 30, 2017

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