Duration of the Spider

Though spider is my nature,
I aim toward human urges and shape
my face to suit the mood around me.
I stick to corners and wait,
my web strewn with stunned buzz.
Silent, I hope for redemption,
but I know damnation lurks at the end
of a lizard's blue tongue
or a frightened child's hand. A simple flick
from nowhere, and I cease to be.
At night, I wait for a finger
to switch the harsh light into existence
and pray, when judgment comes, to ransom
my weight with the currency of dead flies.

Copyright © 2007 Christopher Kennedy All rights reserved
from Encouragement for a Man Falling to His Death
BOA Editions, Ltd.
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission