Today, we took a look into my love affair with spiders. They hold a large place in the imagery, metaphor and allusion which inhabits a healthy portion of my writing and poetry. Question: What do you get when you combine bubbles and spider webs?
If you have ever watched water droplets on a spider web, you can see an iridescence in them as they skitter along the strands of silk. Even large drops wobble along the lengths, shimmering.
One pound of silk could stretch from the Earth to the moon. Spider’s silk is the strongest cable. By weight ratio, spider web is the equivalent strength to your being able to lift a loaded tractor-trailer.
Yet, in all its delicacy, it holds the spider and her prey, often three or four, which she stashes for the emergence of her brood from the egg sac nearby. The web holds more than a thousand times its weight, but is so very fine.
So what happens when you blow bubbles, and they land in spider’s web?
Floating on the breeze
Bubble
The iridescent swirls
skitter across the curved
tender tension.
Rippling in rainbow
array before the
gentle blowing.
The orb comes to rest
on the orderly
woven strands,
Swaying on the silken
web, its trembling
surface glowing.
Delicate and Meticulous
She stalks across threads
investigating
the soapy ball.
Circling, she watches
it rock to and fro
testing power.
Of both the silk and
pressure within
stretching thin,
At her ginger touch
the bubble bursts,
droplets shower
Bespeckling asphalt,
blazing hot, sere.
Evaporating dreams,
steaming up fear.
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What is the bubble for you? Have you ever been the spider? Was the fear actually inside the bubble?
I hope you do not mind we have taken a break from Talk Tuesday for this week. We shall resume a normal schedule tomorrow with the Writer’s Spotlight. For tonight, I chose something a bit more lighthearted. Tell me what you think.
Friggin Loon
/ March 14, 2012I have been known to do a unique dance when walking through a spider web…especially at night. Very tribal 🙄
Red
/ March 14, 2012Could we turn it into a line dance and make a million dollars?
Friggin Loon
/ March 16, 2012Um, probably not, more like techno !!!
Red
/ March 16, 2012So all we need is some cute thing to make a video. Got it.
Prenin
/ March 14, 2012Spider spider on the wall.
Have you got no sense at all?
Can’t you see the walls been plastered?!!!
Come down here you silly little ‘sod’…
Love and hugs!
Prenin.
Red
/ March 14, 2012LOL! You didn’t need to edit it on our account! *Grins*
{HUGZ}
Red.
spilledinkguy
/ March 14, 2012You are so good with ‘the words’, Red…
I am so impressed by that…
(they hate me, you know)!
🙂
Red
/ March 14, 2012Oh, pish tosh. They do not. And your art speaks for itself. Although, the look into your brain as you make them is always of interest to me. I love the thought process behind creation.
Red.
Deb
/ March 14, 2012OMG! Spiders! I don’t like spiders, Red! If I see one in the house, I squash by reflex. I don’t even think, and it’s mush. If it’s a real big one…I may scream in the process.
I do so love the way your write though. 🙂
Hugs, xx
Red
/ March 14, 2012So very many people do precisely what you do. I live way, far, seriously far out in the stix. No matter what you do, you are going to get leggy creatures in the house. I have a sister who is the same as you. She will even hop up on a chair or the coffee table. And my daughter…she is likely to pass out. Seriously arachnophobic.
Glad to see you today!
Red.
xxx
Christy Birmingham
/ March 14, 2012I am reminded of my own spider poem and the influence of insects on our writing! hehe. Well done Red.
Red
/ March 14, 2012I have always been amazed at the number of people who are so very afraid of spiders, yet write about them. Sometimes, the negative connotation can be just as powerful as the positive. Thanks for reading this one, Christy!
authormjlogan
/ March 14, 2012I love the poem.
I don’t go out of my way to kill spiders unless they encroach on my space. Like crawling up over my keyboard… (my software is buggy enough.)
True story and I will make it short as possible…
Guy calls up the exterminator – “My wife says we have too many spiders, can you help?”
“Be there tomorrow and no more spiders,” says the exterminator.
— no more spiders in the house —
Guy calls up the exterminator – “My wife says we have too many box elder bugs, can you help?”
“I dunno,” says the exterminator, “best way to control box elder bugs is to have a lot of spiders.”
And it really did happen, not to me but a friend.
Red
/ March 14, 2012ROFL! I love it. See that is why sometimes you just need to let things be. I know we have loads of spiders to deal with the mosquitoes. I much prefer eight legs to one proboscis. Every. Single. Time. 😉
Androgoth
/ March 15, 2012I think that you are excelling on this great website of yours Red; indeed each word of every posting is a breath of fresh air. You know, I have no idea why some peeps have the audacity to add negativity to your Space as it is unwarranted and just shows their ignorance. Keep up with these excellent poems, and of course your unparalleled vaults of useful and most interesting information 🙂
Androgoth XXx
Red
/ March 15, 2012Thank you, Andro. I do appreciate all of your support. I have been so pleasantly surprised by the support for my poetry. It was something which I did not expect would inhabit many posts here.
And the igmos give us someone to laugh at come Friday night 😉
Glad to see you tonight, dear friend,
Red.