Hole in the Head

The body, in its business
Of surviving, does odd things.
Your ancestors were obsessed,
In many cases, with caves.

Caves are lightless, dangerous
To medium-sized bipeds
Evolved for ground in bright sun,
But those bipeds wormed right in,

Through pitch with no food for them,
Through cracks where they could be trapped,
Lugging in smoky torches,
And stopping to make paintings.

What did this behavior have
To do with successful life
As bodies in the business
Of surviving? Nothing much.

Your ancestors survived fine
When in landscapes without caves.
Some exploratory urge
Might best explain spelunking,

But it’s still odd behavior,
Despite its human cousins,
The love of cave-like shelters,
The fondness for roof and walls.

Surviving with the body,
You’ve noticed it does odd things,
Haven’t you? Have you ever
Hungered to crawl narrow dark?