I Wish I Weren'T a Spider

I WISH I WEREN’T A SPIDER by JOHN M. ARRIBAS I wish I weren’t a spider, not even my relatives are a friend Getting close to another kinsman could bring a lethal end We're not a glamorous group, we are hairy and scary We set up snares and spin webs snagging the naive n unwary If you visit my web I’ll spin you into a tailored silky cocoon In time I’ll drain you, you’ll end up resembling a sun dried prune Now I ask you, is that a hygienic way to earn a living I hide in nooks n crannies, my bites totally unforgiving Most of the time you’ll get a little fever maybe some pain But the fright that I cause is so impossible to contain Now, I’ve got kin in a place called the land down under Being not aware of their presence is a fatal blunder In South America we are big, hairy and lightning quick We hide in holes, when prey ambles by, our pounce is slick In the jungles we can spin webs several meters across Snagging creatures n eyeing them as they struggle n toss No escape: some will become a gourmet’s month long meal Spun silks are sturdy, flexible, elastic, yet stronger than steel The mating process is a venturous trip with fatal chances We’ve got to lure and subdue her into hypnotic trances Being lucky enough to catch her, turns into a dangerous ordeal After impregnating, I got to be quick or I’ll be her next meal She’ll get her comeuppance from babies carried underside They’ll rapidly devour her; how she lived is how she died Now I ask you is that a commendable way to exist We will never be included in any preferred list But if I were a butterfly so fragile n brightly colored I’d flit from flower to flower, sweet nectar easily devoured I’d be regaled, loved and showered with daily praise I’d be included in children’s books on the front page