The Spider in a Burning Neighborhood

Place deprived of time, paused like a black and white movie

Heat, here, deep in my chest as the spider appears

Flashing, fleeting lights, it makes its way along

Crossed wires and embossed walls that never end

It hides away until far past dusk

To his webs, he must tend

Pink, blue, and purple drip down the sky like ink

Sparks and sirens crowding the neighborhood

Gulping down cider doesn’t slow me, it doesn’t slow the spider down

They wait for me to help, correct, amend

Save others without thinking about myself

His webs, he must tend

Coming back to find webs corner to corner

Hide and seek, the spider only plays games

Struggling with what I created, what he conceived and created

I brush stray webs away, ‘Wonderful webs’, I commend

Working far past dusk until only one is awake

To his webs, he must tend

The embers sizzle and sear through the night

‘In too deep’ my mind whispers, pulling me from my dreams

Broken heart racing, spider pacing, as my vision darkens

Black arachnid crawling down my arm, legs like thorns, distend

Along my palm, maneuvering down my fingertips

The spider spins, ‘Tend’

Small at first until it grows to consume

Fire tearing their homes like sharp combs

Trapped here with the wiry webs engulfing my hands

Fingers shake, stiff, and unable to bend

‘Rescue me first’ voice muffled through the cobwebs, ‘In too deep’

The spider spins, ‘Tend’