Arachnophilia (Poetry/Monologue)

Today

I remembered

Why I love

Spiders.

When I was young,

I would have to go

To sleep at eight-thirty PM

On the dot.

I hated going to sleep

At such early times.

 I would toss and turn

For hours,

Feeling tireless and

Ridiculous.

So one day, I decided to sleep

With my head near to

The window.

It was cooler,

And I really loved

How the yellow street lights

Threw shadows across the street,

How the trees swayed briskly,

How it was so haunting

And so quiet.

Then, one day,

A black house spider had decided

To build his web

Directly in front of

My window,

Superseding my view.

So instead

I’d lay at the end of my bed

And unwittingly watch

This gorgeous creature

Spin its gossamer home.

It made me smile,

And I could fall asleep

So much more easily

To an arachnid’s jittery movement,

To the weaving of its glinting silk.

I made sure, every night

To watch this spider as it sat

Motionless or dynamic…

Thinking how pretty it was

When it rained,

How its web dewed up,

How it sat unfazed,

Tending silently to its home.

Soon I found that

The nights it was not there

I could hardly fall asleep...

And sometimes, I could tell

From the pattern on its back

That it wasn’t the same house spider…

But that was okay

Because to me, they all

Seemed the same.

They were all pretty,

Silent, elegant creatures,

And I often times wished

That I could be one of them.

They’re so captivating,

And I could never, ever hate them.

Some people loathe them

Because they bite,

Or they’re spindly

Or look alien…

But these people

Just do not see

What I see.

I see a graceful creature,

Unique amongst all others,

Vibrant and arcane,

A fantastic motley,

Sinister, noiseless;

Forever spinning its home

At the very centre of my heart.

I love spiders

So much,

So it does not matter

How many times

I get bit;

Their venom

Enthuses me,

Helps me appreciate

Their beauty

Many times more.

These lissom creatures

That dominate the night

Enrapture me,

Utterly.

I really love spiders.