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Merlin lived for ages in his cave
its sapphire walls
nestled in the roots of the largest tree in Britain
while Nimue came every day
to check the locks and feed him books

I found my first cave
up creaking steps and between a labyrinth
of book boxes with only a crayon to mark my way

my sister would join me
drawing our adventures on the walls
as they did in ancient times
when wise men retreated into the belly of the earth
surrounded by stone walls covered with stories
until mother called us down for dinner

it’s a comforting thing to have a cave
a place to rest and melt into the edges
where the stories dwell

when I was a little older
my cave had a dirt floor
and I lay back to peer through to the sapphire sky
through branches and lilacs
breathing with the trees
drawing my adventures with a stick on the ground
while Merlin whispered in my ear
of far off people and distant magics

and every day, Nimue would come
to check the locks and feed me stories