The Heart of the Cave – A Poem by Harold Strauss

Submitted by Harold Strauss

Light, for the first time in millennia,
Came and lit the cave’s corners and nooks
Like a flashlight down a well.

And then the flare guttered and died,
So, they backed away from the edge
And shuffled back into the wall for security.

The moment of revelation was over
But the images would never leave them.
The layers of the earth this cave bore proudly
Before returning to its endless night.

It revealed more about the men
Then the cave.

And as they roped up and rappelled down
They didn’t speak.

Because the cavern felt too sacred.
The darkness too silent.
A word, a light, a breath,
It would be a betrayal.

For, somewhere deep within them
They felt at home. Back at Nature’s breast
Off of which they’ve long since been weaned.

Photo Credit: Otto Dix – Crater field near Dontrien lit up by flares