In 1956

They opened a soda fountain,

in Mammoth Cave and in 1968

they added a full bar with buffalo heads

mounted on the walls and paintings

of naked Indian princesses

in full recline behind the bar

They called it the Tavern in the Cavern,

but of course, they got it wrong,

 because the Mammoth is a cave system,

dead as the souls of the big man’s feet.

I used to drink there when I was still underage,

“underground under way.”

The fur on the big bison grew green

with mold and the bartenders

all developed breathing problems or so I am told.