Dancing Dust
	Poems by Mollie Caird (1922-2000)
	The song of the cave dwellers
Home Alphabetic index of poems Thematic index of poems Biography Gallery Contact and links	Sweet is the cave, and warm, And warmly damp the floor; Huddle we in the dimness, Backs to the door, The close roof safe above — But there they leap and race, The flickering on the wall Our fingers trace! So we dance our manacled dance, And we see with our mole-blind eyes The truths of the shadow things, For we are wise. Once there were some who madly dared the light And came again half-crazed, their dazzled sight Seared and stupid with the hideous sun; We did but scoff at them — but there was one — Strange we remember still — yes, one there was Worse than a fool, but we killed him because He troubled us... Raise a cry to the vaults, This is our merriest game — Shout, hear the swift sound Strike back the same! Roll on the miry floor, But watch, watch intent Life's pictures there.  We see, And are content. Undated, c1941