Endings

Text:

© Grathy
I go outside to greet the crisp morning air.
Last night, the spiders spread fresh linen across the trees.

The webs glisten in the sunlight, like fine lace dabbled with wet pearls.
I am relieved that their stitching is over.

I take a few steps forward, and soon it is upon me,
A thin silk lattice that I didn’t see.

It is elated that it has found me, a fresh victim.
I try to pull it off,
But it is all over me,
Its sticky mess thick like cotton candy.

I flail, trying to remove its threads,
But part of it still remains.

I am in its clutches,
Caught off guard in its gummy residue.

The spider looks at me
From the eaves of the tree and laughs,
Hoping it will feast well tonite,

Knowing that on some level
that I can never completely get away.