Before I walked into those caves, I had reserves. I asked God to help me triumph over the other gods. He granted my request, and I went into the caves after 273 steps. Walking into the caves was an experience. Even an old woman from an Indian family was walking with bare feet. Seeing the young women walking in and out of the caves barefoot was a sight. Mostly, since many of them were beautiful. Their outer appearance. Looking at their feet, I realized a message. To become a beautiful person, one must undergo rigorous training, as the journey is what shapes one.
The bare feet reminded me of the ‘Footprints in the Sand.’
You are being carried toward greatness, even when it seems like you are pushing a boulder uphill.
You must go through the trial before you can enjoy the fruit.
Just as those women probably had a foot massage later, so must we, as people, work hard and then find pleasure later in our journey.
Moist — the stone beneath my hand,
Unyielding -- cold, unmoved—
It bites my fingers -- bites my mind --
Yet -- roots me to the truth --
Hard—the wind against my chest,
It shoves and twists My -- breath --
Till lungs -- Beneath -- and Break --
And heart beats -- hammer death --
Deep—the river of the night --
It drags my soul -- Below --
Where light -- dissolves in endless dark --
And whispers what I -- know --
Deep — the silence Nought but Screams --
It presses -- on my skull --
Till every thought is drowned --- in hope --
When it never seems -- enough --
Hard and deep -- it's never gone --
The world’s sharp weight -- I keep --
But It fractures -- deep --
lnto the bones --
I find a Pulse— quite Deep -- inside my Brain --
best kept secret in China
I am laughing now
because all the secrets there are best kept
none of them ever get told
the Chinese people I know keep everything a secret
they are not loose-lipped like my relatives
best kept secret in China
Longyou Caves
twenty-four hundred chambers
chiseled out under a large waterway
with steps and pillars
intricate, detailed, amazing workmanship
who made them? Who lived there? No one will ever know.
The night caves in I am as tired as original sin
its a no win situation for I'm tired from within.
Uncle was a spelunker
drove to the caves
in his clunker
(it was quite the junker)
without a sound
he sunk underground
pitch black as night
and on his hat
a bright white light
(the switch it was waterproof)
to see which stalagmites
might reach the roof
where stalactites
clung on tight
unafraid of bats
flitting around
never flunking
Uncle loved going down
but sorely and sad to say
on one of those getaways
a painful cluster of bad carbuncles
curtailed Uncle's spelunking days
Hollow inside,
Outside hard stone
Some one entered this cave
Sparkled some glitter
Cleaned old sins
Started new story
Aunty lost three pounds of memory,
it happened slowly, the clock on her mantle
ran faster, the rain began to fall slower.
Her cat was a stranger, then an ex-lover.
1300 grams of her vanished in slow motion.
The gray-matter remained
though it was hollowed out by blind angels.
At the age of eighty-two she demanded a dog.
We bought her an automated one
that moved and barked.
Eventually though its computer-chip failed,
aunty did not notice
she was by then busy
discussing politics with Theodor Roosevelt.
I once asked her what he had to say?
She replied that he had confided to her
that ‘the dead remember everything’
that seemed so sad to me.
in the caves where the water flows
i hum a tune that crept into my mind from way back
i wish that she could have come, but she is still healing
i wish that she could feel this, but she is still dealing
in the caves where the water flows
i close my eyes in complete disbelief
i only dreamt about this after watching many television commercials
i want an autographed anecdote, but there are no ways to get an answer
i want a safety deposit box memory, but all i have are remembrances of right now
in the caves where the water flows
i am comfortably stuck, and i never want to leave
the magic and the mystery amazes me to the point of endless curiosity
the shock and the awe of it all inspires me to come back for more the next day
in the caves where the water flows
i embrace the peace and the medicinal stress release
nothing in the world above matter much here
i feel so far away and obliviously happy with nothing anywhere near
in the caves where the water flows
i give it one last goodbye kiss
i make my promise to come back somewhere between sometime soon and the very near future
knowing deep down inside, the truth is that i may never pass this way again
Cave of wonders,
Caverns so deep,
Through vast rooms I wander,
So many secrets to keep.
The path tightens,
The corridors weave,
Mysterious sounds frighten,
Seeing the magic others see,
Deeper down I go
To unknown steps below,
Exploring further and anyone’s been,
There seems to be no end.
Stalactites hang from above,
Their beauty alone is enough,
Walls covered in draperies,
Millions of years of Earth’s memories.
Deep pools of blue
With emerald green hues,
Waters untouched by any hand,
Stoney beaches with no sand.
Crystals form almost uniform,
Where many cave creatures are born,
Flowing walls made of stone,
Beautiful formations have grown.
With my lantern I decide not to go deeper,
As I stand at in the doorway
I feel like a gatekeeper.
I wish it was forever that I could stay.,
But now home is where I must make my way.
Climbing up inclines so tall,
I tread carefully as not to fall,
Emerging from the depths
I take several deep breaths,
I make my way to the surface,
The thought of leaving makes me nervous.
As I stand at the cave’s entrance
I nod my head,
Until next time
My good friend.
Once lit by flickering torch light
with animal tallow mixed with ocher
daubed on subterranean rock walls
now lit by streetlights or LED headlamp
slashes of spray paint and magic markers
splattered on concrete bridge abutments,
boxcars, or walls of tenement ghettos,
but the message is the same
we were here.
Aunty lost three pounds of memory,
it happened slowly, the clock on her mantle
ran faster, the rain began to fall slower.
Her cat was a stranger, then an ex-lover.
1300 grams of her vanished in slow motion.
The gray-matter remained
though it was hollowed out by blind angels;
in those dimly lit caves
flew two storks carrying two infants
forever now circling a cartoon pink sky.
At the age of eighty-two she demanded a dog.
We bought her an automated one
that moved and barked.
Eventually though its computer-chip brain failed,
aunty did not notice
she was by then very busy
discussing politics with Theodor Roosevelt.
I once asked her what he had to say?
She replied that he had confided:
‘the dead remember everything,’
that also seemed sad to me.
Melting
by Michael R. Burch
Entirely, as spring consumes the snow,
the thought of you consumes me: I am found
in rivulets, dissolved to what I know
of former winters’ passions. Underground,
perhaps one slender icicle remains
of what I was before, in some dark cave—
a stalactite, long calcified, now drains
to sodden pools whose milky liquid laves
the colder rock, thus washing something clean
that never saw the light, that never knew
the crust could break above, that light could stream:
so luminous, so bright, so beautiful ...
I lie revealed, and so I stand transformed,
and all because you smiled on me, and warmed.
The night sky is ablaze with stars
and planets like Venus and Mars.
A sight, unseen in the city,
for background lights obscure our view
and what stars we see, are but few.
It is a modern-day pity,
stars are so difficult to see.
Sailing in an ebony sea,
there is nothing quite as pretty.
Like crystalline gems sparkling bright
billions of stars light up the night
and yet, they're so itty-bitty.
Earth's a jewel in its own right,
adorning space with sky blue light.
But the universe goes unseen,
for city lights levy a toll
we might as well wear a blindfold.
And yet, the Milky Way's still a
serene spectacle to behold.
Amidst stardust, life's genes unfold,
a life-generating machine.
The night's alight from the big bang
stars are the sparks from which life sprang
forming galaxies where none had been.
We've lost sight of the stars at night
content to live in concrete caves
views blocked by a backwash of light.
(Hutinashro)
Nov. 14, 2018
In the Thai Tham Luang complex of caves
It was not where the children were lost
But the place that Compassion was found!
© Demetrios Trifiatis
11 July 2018
A total of twelve boys and their trainer have been taken out of the Tham Luang Caves in Thailand after they were trapped in the cave for seventeen days! This has been an international operation. One diver, SAMAN GUNAN has lost his life in the effort!
Within the purple caves of Alberon
the diamond dust of yesterday
one sweep of hand upon the rock
and magic fills the tray...
J jaggary visions of sweeter days ahead
E effable in shine resplendent, divine
W wagonettes filled with jewels
E eboneous lustres of one secret night
L ludicrous thoughts of acquisition
S sacrelized beneath surreal visions
within the purple caves of Alberton
the diamond dust of yesteryears
one sweep of desire and fire
then tragically it all disappears.
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