Spider!

I dwell in the darkest corners of your room

and in the untidy recesses of your mind;

a symbol of fear -- tiny token of doom;

a reclusive, I’m elusive and not easy to find.

 

I sit in silence in my woven silk web and

muse at your silly human complexities --

‘til the rising moon summons you to your bed,

I’ll delve into my simplistic arachnidan fantasies.

 

I’ve studied your habits and learned them well.

I know the precise moment that you’ll fall asleep

by the times I watched as your chest rose and fell,

so I bide my time until your breathing is deep.

 

The clock on the wall strikes eleven, and then

it’s the wond’rous moment I’ve been waiting for

when I can leave my home and begin to descend

the eight foot length ‘tween the ceiling and floor.

 

‘Tis a shame I’ve no one to appreciate my

timing and skill – I skitter this way and that

in front of the door which I must hurry by

to avoid being seen by your big ugly cat.

 

Up the bedpost and to the top of the canopy,

I pause for a moment and admire my prize;

 moments from now I will be where I long to be,

delighting at the tickle from the lash of your eye.

 

‘Tis a dangerous game I play here each night,

when you consider our vast difference in size;

my life would cease with one swat born of fright, as

I know the very sight of me you greatly despise.

 

I hunker down close to your soft, warm skin

and brace myself, anticipating the excitement

that will ensue when I bite you again and again;

awakened, you’ll scream as I scram to the vent.

 

I laugh to myself while you fumble about and

then leap in great terror right out of your bed;

you toss sheets aside and dare me to come out

with no idea I’m hanging just over your head!

 

 

Author's Note

I am terrified of spiders, but I like to write about what I fear. This poem inspired me to host the "Phobia" contest for which I will ask entrants to do the same.

Reviews

[Candle in the wind]

Oops it sent a chill down my spine!These horrible creatures seem to be lurking everywhere.Its such a macabre vision to think of the spider sniggering at our complexities! A very powerful poem indeed.It is very visually evocative and picks at our anxieties and follies as well.

[pal]

very descriptive well imagined through the mind of a spider..
bravo
pal

[Deborah Leah Krempa]

Fantastic poem. Thank you for sharing. Debileah

[ah]

wow, u made me feel like i was reading a writing greatly depicted and written from a spider itself... great write

[SM Davis]

YOWZA!!! If you ever get the chance, read Robert Fulgum's Everything I need to Know I learned in Kindergarten. He tells the story of a frantic woman with a spider in her hair from the spider's point of view and it is HILLARIOUS!!!! It certainly helped me with my fear of spiders.

[Kena Dawn Augustine]

I am not afraid of spiders at all, but your poem was a wonderful depcition of the fear for them. good job with this piece.

[Sarah Morgan]

Ewww .. Spiders not my friends hehe, however I do love this write. It's very interesting and this piece just flows so wonderfully. It kept my attention.

[jen -- JG]

Well done Tania - my husband got a spider bite on the ear and it stiffened up like a board - the ear not the spider. He was quite ill for a few days. We are still looking for that little beggar, the spider not the ear.

After reading this poem tonight, I think I'll be using the bug spray before we go to bed.

Creeped me out but that is good because only a good write can cause a strong reaction in a reader..
A solid 10- out of 10 girl.

Well done!!!

jen-JG

[Tamme]

I like how you got into the mind of the spider.. the thing you fear... it was really creative. As for me I am the one who catches the spiders and lets them go outside while my big tough man jumps up and down and screams like a little girl. LOL. I can't rag on him to bad millipedes and china dolls do the same to me.

Great writing.

[*~Imperfectly Me~*]

OMG chills.... Agh!!! Spiders=evil!!!! Great write though.... I could feel the spider crawling on me.... you have great imagery and stuff.... Great job!

[Travis Lawrence]

This is my favorite, so far. I happen to admire spiders, they eat annoying bugs like shoe flies and mosquitos. I can't help but see a parallel between the spider and an actual person, sucking his blood dry and sending him into a fevered panic, like a woman toying with his heart. I'm not sure you meant that, but it's what I saw. Great write, I believe I'll add it to my library.

-Travis