Mammoth Cave National Park
by Michael Doyle

Into the mouth, we stand and peer
Sacred sandstone cap and biosphere
From the Frozen Niagara to Fat Man's Misery
My family comes to observe your mystery

Batwings fly above the and blind shrimp below
The endless dark is something new to know
Ageless time forms this creeping shiver
Shaped by rain and mastered by the Green River

I stand there with my daughters wanting to share
What it is to see and be within a place of care
Each of them have taught me as much as I have them
And each of them approaches this with more than whim

The youngest has a scientific mind that measures
The oldest has a poet's heart with words as treasures
They gather in the experience and share their thoughts
That life is love and not filed with shoulds and oughts

Graves of little hope guide by lantern's humble light
Ever forward into that which seems a ceaseless night
Like philosophers dream within the shades of light


(c) June 9, 2023  Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved