“So You Want to Go Spelunking”

by Kelly Lenox Allan

33. Plan to emerge from the cave at dusk: spelunkers
       find it hard to breathe under the weight of full day.

49. When you see again the hills and trees,
       remember the spaces underneath.

45. Use the toilet while you still have one.

6.  Before entering the cave, sit
     until you feel Earth’s breath entering sky.

14. In a cave no light is bright enough.

17. It will be a dirty, muddy, hair-messing time.

43. Earth has no floor.

9. Darkness is more than the absence of light: it is
     what crawls down your neck when your nose
     is suddenly inches from a wall furry with sleeping bats.

4.   Adrenaline is a powerful antidote to fatigue.

38. The tightest passages sometimes lead
       to the largest rooms.

37. The promised waterfall may be one you can neither
       hear nor shine your headlamp on:
       you are at the top; the pool is far below.

10. Deep in a cave life distills to one question, Which way now?

41. Thick skin will slow the seeping-in
       of all the absences you will find.

15. In complete darkness
       eyes invent light.

28. Never forget: rope, water, food, knife, home.

39. There are no postcards from this country.