The Mine

The Mine © Ann Moradian. All rights reserved.

A cavernous journey into the mine
Cut off from the world
Cold stone walls caress warm flesh
And it chills
And in this cave of riches
Only me
And mine

I possess this heart of the earth
I possess the depths of her soul
I own her
None can enter
Rabbits are murdered for trespassing
Then they join me for supper

The jeweled ceiling rests above me
Like a turquoise crown
Set on silver tresses
And I - only -
Enjoy this beauty
Only me and mine

That the earth may rebel
May spit me back naked to the elements
That she might disgorge on me her fiery depths...
That she may --
Is but a nightmare that I sleep beside
And hope I do not trip on

--
Ann Moradian, October 1, 1989
originally printed in NYU's Gallatin Review, Spring 1990