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MAMMOTH CAVE
have you ever been to mammoth caves?
while traveling south,we stopped there.
we weren't sure just what to expect
but it was special, i declare.
the pathway in was on a slope.
the cave itself was humongous.
there were bats and lights up in the roof
and a guide with a flashlight among us.
to one side was an Indian mummy
sitting on a shelf,
it looked as if he'd been sitting there
a hundred years, by him self.
you could see and hear the flying bats,
they didn't like the brightness.
then someone turned the lights off
and you knew how it felt to be sightless
you couldn't see a single thing,
not even your hand before you.
the cave became a big black pit.
you didn't know what to do.
the guide led us, all in a row,
through the darkest night I'd ever seen.
you couldn't see the rocky walls,
just felt where you had been.
we squeezed along the pathway,
through spots that felt too small
they had a rail and lighting,
or else,you just might fall.
there were deep drop offs on either side.
as we pushed along our way,
it looked so deep and scary,
it made you want to pray...
it took some time to get back out
by then the lights came back on
we were glad to see the sun again,
but it was a "spectacular day".
Copyright © Shirley Sasek
1964
while traveling south,we stopped there.
we weren't sure just what to expect
but it was special, i declare.
the pathway in was on a slope.
the cave itself was humongous.
there were bats and lights up in the roof
and a guide with a flashlight among us.
to one side was an Indian mummy
sitting on a shelf,
it looked as if he'd been sitting there
a hundred years, by him self.
you could see and hear the flying bats,
they didn't like the brightness.
then someone turned the lights off
and you knew how it felt to be sightless
you couldn't see a single thing,
not even your hand before you.
the cave became a big black pit.
you didn't know what to do.
the guide led us, all in a row,
through the darkest night I'd ever seen.
you couldn't see the rocky walls,
just felt where you had been.
we squeezed along the pathway,
through spots that felt too small
they had a rail and lighting,
or else,you just might fall.
there were deep drop offs on either side.
as we pushed along our way,
it looked so deep and scary,
it made you want to pray...
it took some time to get back out
by then the lights came back on
we were glad to see the sun again,
but it was a "spectacular day".
Copyright © Shirley Sasek
1964
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MAMMOTH CAVE
MAMMOTH CAVE