The Spider

When all the creatures are assembled
               in paradise, the spider will be there too,
                         its eight mystical

                         peewee eyes
               reassembled from the cosmic
dust, the clean narrow tooth

and thin spider lips
               lip-synching hymns
                         beside the songbirds—grackles

                         and bobolinks, larks and orioles—
               as full of noble melodies
as the rest. But secretly,

the spider will detest the others
               as it was detested;
                         even the flashy and glamorous

                         widow will curse
               the redwing's subtle
pizzazz, the dragonfly's

walk-on-water-wings.

Copyright © 2004 Susan Kelly-DeWitt All rights reserved
from The Book of Insects
Spruce Street Press
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission