how does the spider string its way
all the way to the moon
an instinctive labor of love
taking advantage of low lying clouds
and atmospheric winds
propelling itself
past the ever elusive exosphere
otherwise known as
the little miss muffet barrier
september two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
she said if I would stop working
on trying to solve the mystery
of the universe
maybe we’d be living
by the sea by now
I pretended not to hear
magnifying glass in hand
following the spider
making its way across the rug
and you should take that thing down
she went on to say
pointing at the corner ceiling
at the microcosm
of the world wide web
may two thousand twenty-four
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
how does a fly get so fat before the solstice
what could he be feasting on
and how in the world
did he make his way inside the house
I had my chance a couple of times
to either stun him or catch him outright
casting him back out to the great wide open
but I decided the better of it
and went about my own business
now that I think about it
I wonder how many spiders are living
comfortably within my abode
knowing full well the dullest of houseflies
are the lowest hanging fruit there is
may two thousand twenty
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
inside your walk-in closet you keep
a wooden bowl atop your dresser
filled past the brim with little things
little tidbit kinds of things that have little
to no value like bottlecaps and matchbooks
rubber bracelets and key chains
a deck of the tiniest of cards you’re
quite sure has played solitaire
sometimes you imagine a little spider
lives inside the tidbit of things
milling about mostly in the dark
but occasionally coming out on afternoons
to unwind atop the deck of cards
basking in the filtered light
leaking through diamond-shaped openings
that really aren’t here nor there
october two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
the fly keeps hitting the screen
bouncing off of it
and plowing into it again
as if jumping on a vertical trampoline
I wonder why he just doesn’t
relax on the screen and take in
the warm august breeze
I think to myself
watching the game on TV
and enjoying a cold one
it’s much worse outside I yell at him
believe me
you don’t know want to go out there
they’ll eat you alive
channel surfing between innings
I see he’s finally resting
near the top of the screen
well within striking distance
of little miss muffet’s hairy nemesis
august two thousand sixteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
santa ana winds fan
the flames and further
separate the queen
from her entourage
armed with rain clouds
pawns venture in unafraid
questing to rescue the
queen of the stone age
her king relocates castle
closer to the shoreline
petitions clergymen
for a wing and a prayer
backed into a corner
queen abandons her netting
races with her babies
spraying pepper mace
june two thousand fourteen
copyright j matthew waters
all rights reserved
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