Cave Before I entered the cemetery cave I knocked a fat crow off my shoulder Inside I found nothing but damp earth split by a thin muddy stream a dry wall scatches on the surface a hand outlined in red ochre a spot where a sharp stone made its marks with a cutting edge Emerged from the dark I lay down on my back to see the light Two thin crows flew from atop a concrete cross and began to peck at my chest
Wanda M. Wandas's Questions:
1. Is the word "cemetery" in the first line necessary or does the reader get
the idea that the cave is in a graveyard from the concrete cross in the next
to last line?
2. In the eighth line, do I need "a spot where" to maintain the parallel
construction or could I omit "a spot where"? Could the ninth line "with a
cutting edge" be deleted?
3. Is a second stanza better than the single stanza at "Emerged. . ." or
would the stanza break affect the continuity of the poem?