Predator and prey…?

Posted on September 8, 2019 by Sue Vincent

*

Once bitten twice shy

Prey learns fast from predator

Just try it and see…

*

Though not afraid of spiders
I now give them wider berth,
Since one of them determined
To remove me from this earth.

The damned thing, several years ago,
That thought my foot was lunch,
Though only small and delicate,
Was packing quite a punch.

The doctor said, “Hmm, that’s not good,
Just nip to A and E.”
They thought that it was ‘interesting’
My leg swelled to the knee…

Between antibiotics
And an allergy thereto,
I came close to the wire
And I thought my days were through.

So, though I live with spiders
Of most every shape and size,
These days I am more circumspect
Preferring no surprise.

The big ones are no problem,
I am armed with card and glass,
Though some of them are monsters
That into the glass won’t pass.

Then there are ones evicted
Through the open window pane,
Who cling on to the window ledge
And crawl back in again.

The living room? The dog objects
But I can let them stay,
I know that if I move at all
They’ll only run away.

The bathroom sink is out of bounds
The bath and shower too,
And God forbid I wander in
To find one on the loo.

The ones that really get me though
Are those that haunt my sheet,
Or abseil from the bedroom light
With sticky little feet.

The ones that to the ceiling cling
Above my pillowed head
And wait till I forget them
Before jumping to my bed.

I’m glad I live far out of town
With none but cows to see
The midnight madness as I take
Them outside far from me.

There’s never time to stop and dress
As with my glass and card,
I pounce upon the blighters
And eject them to the yard.

So, if you hear reports of one
Whose nightdress does not hide her…
Its not some arcane ritual,
It’s just me with a spider.

About Sue Vincent

Sue Vincent was a Yorkshire born writer, esoteric teacher and a Director of The Silent Eye. She was immersed in the Mysteries all her life. Sue maintained a popular blog and is co-author of The Mystical Hexagram with Dr G.M.Vasey. Sue lived in Buckinghamshire, having been stranded there due to an accident with a blindfold, a pin and a map. She had a lasting love-affair with the landscape of Albion, the hidden country of the heart. Sue  passed into spirit at the end of March 2021.
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38 Responses to Predator and prey…?

  1. Sadje says:
    September 8, 2019 at 04:51

    They are nasty little blighters! 🕷

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  2. joylennick says:
    September 8, 2019 at 07:15

    That’s brilliant and funny, Sue. I’m OK with spiders but wouldn’t like to encounter some of the Australian variety. (Just as well I live in Spain.) Not exactly enamoured with cockroaches though… x.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. CHINA ALEXANDRIA LIVING THE DREAM says:
    September 8, 2019 at 07:39

    IL MAGNIFICO, MAGIC WORDS, SO SIMPLE AND YET SO INTRICATE, CHINA

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. pensitivity101 says:
    September 8, 2019 at 08:26

    You are braver than me Sue. Hubby disposes of them, but I am better than I was and can tolerate the little ones now. Big beasts are a hoover job if I’m on my own!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  6. jenanita01 says:
    September 8, 2019 at 09:30

    I’m not exactly fond of spiders, but I’m the one they scream for when one arrives. I am quite tall you see, and can reach most of the little blighters!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. Mary Smith says:
    September 8, 2019 at 09:31

    Big spiders usually run towards me when I move – that’s what worries me about them.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  9. patriciaruthsusan says:
    September 8, 2019 at 10:22

    Reblogged this on Musings on Life & Experience and commented:
    Sue’s battle with the spiders.

    Like

    Reply
  10. BeckiesMentalMess.wordpress.com says:
    September 8, 2019 at 15:44

    Love this tale!! Spiders freak me out so bad, I end up doing the moon walk out of the house when one touches me. LOL!

    Like

    Reply
  11. Widdershins says:
    September 8, 2019 at 23:46

    This time of the year I have to have a stern word with at least two per evening. 😀

    Like

    Reply
  12. noelleg44 says:
    September 9, 2019 at 17:00

    Great poem, Sue. I remember when you had that nasty spider bite. I know how painful they are – there was one in my towel in the bathroom that bit me when I was drying off after a shower. My arm swelled and itched for a week and that bite was a real owie!

    Like

    Reply
  13. Adele Marie says:
    September 11, 2019 at 17:18

    I remember when you were very sick from that spider bite. We too have a glass and a piece of cardboard which we deem the Bug Catcher. just this morning we woke to matching bites and out came the tea tree oil. xxx

    Like

    Reply
    • Sue Vincent says:
      September 11, 2019 at 18:09

      It was not a good few weeks, I have to say. But the spider was trapped in the foorwell of the car and probably far more scared than I would have been had I realised he was about to start munching away. xx

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

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