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.

[George Love]

Excellent work!

[Ice Queen of the Vampir..]

Uh....erm, oh now I'm going to have nightmares!!! *shivers* But this poem is nicely written. Great work Tania!!!

Heather

[David Lewis Paget]

You paint a disturbing picture, and use great discipline in the form, which aids the flow. Congrats. That's the best thing I've seen in a while.

[Lorna Lee]

Wow sis, had I had this information a few years ago, I really could have had a lot of fun when you fell asleep...lol. Very intense piece. I felt my skin crawling from the first line. I'm not even sure I can go to sleep tonight without wondering what might be visiting me in my slumber. I'll check out your contest....thanks for sharing. ~LC

[Robert Luna]

I enjoyed this and thought you masterfully painted a sense of unsureness perfectly. I saw your contest but I really don't fear anything so it would really hard for me to put myself in a place where I can write based of fear. You though have done it perfectly here. I love how you wrote this and gave it this eerie feeling about it.


Great Job!!!!!

[Snow White Queen]

This is great! I don't really like spiders either, but I'm more afriad of snakes. I loved the last verse. ♥

[Shadows of Sight]

To the theme from the adams family....
They're creepy and their crawly
They're all kinda smally
They all have eight legs
They're the Arachnid family!
:) Great Write! Spiders are a great way to keep the misquitoe population down during the summer!
My mom always left a few alive in the rafters just for that reason!

[Lea Jane]

OOOHHHH MYYY GOOODNESSSS!!! that was sooooo creepy omg i have a fear of spiders for the rest of my life now (not that i didn't before ;] )

WOW. that was intense and... very scary. i think i might have nightmares X-]

Even still, it was wonderfully written. I don't think i'm brave enough to write about my fears haha!

[None]

There's an old wives tale that says "killing spiders is bad luck" but I don't really care! They are toast if I see them in my house. Now I'm going to be scared when I go to sleep tonight! Your awesome poem really captures a day in the life of a spider so well! A difficult task to write as the thing you fear, I'm sure! What an incredible poem and very enjoyable to read, even though I could scream!! I'm looking forward to checking out your contest, "Phobia" as well.

[Legion]

Bravo! One of the best pieces I've read in awhile and definetly the best I've ever read about spiders. :) This is a great story from the arachnid's perspective. Well done.