There are no other caves besides the personal one.
There are no other shadows but my own.
Aloneness at last reflects back to me a clue in separation
that togetherness can mask
for now I see my own puppet story skills
for what they are.
I put on a wicked good show.
This cave seems to lack an exit
so the way out appears to be in —
into the muck of my own waste.
Submerged and miserable,
there are only two options—
drown here or
stretch for breath
and reach untainted ease, at last.
Perhaps i’ve grown so old that the shackles no longer hold my wrists
or the flattery of the shadows is no longer true enough
to hold me sway, awaiting impossible union.
The drying out of this body
a time bomb that I ignite.
The eyes that meet beyond the bomb
do not shadow play anymore,
and once the cave is left
the dark draw has no pull.
Life as Improv 
smiling to light’s
freedom 🙂
smiling back
at the reflection.
thank you smile calm.
A great poem, Improv. I’m at a similar place in life and it spoke to me, esp this part: “This cave seems to lack an exit / so the way out appears to be in — / into the muck of my own waste.” Sometimes you have to delve inward to move outward? Nice job. 🙂
Hi Just Joan,
That inward dive does seem true these days. Hope you are well,
BOOM. When you travel in the depths that you do my dear M, such are the ‘findings.’
Hope the inner booms are deafening in your inner realms, Dr. mike 🙂
“for now I see my own puppet story skills/for what they are…”
Yeah. That. Sounds just about perfect. I’m looking for a place beyond stories, a way of living in the moment that doesn’t need to manufacture a story to make it real. I think it just might be in here, somewhere…
the capacity for story making seems endless during some stretches, well, most stretches, of time.catching myself just a bit sooner, and then a bit sooner, seems to offer shortening to the episodes and laughter with the story-maker. I love how the cave is both the trap and the discovery in terms of PLACE. hope your moments beyond story increase and flower daily.
Kudos on the deft employment of “wicked”, if one didn’t know better, one might think you’re a Masshole
or had carefully observed the native speakers 🙂