The house spider
was on the inside
& didn’t budge
when the phoebe flew up
& clung to the window screen,
jabbing fruitlessly
at a meal turned to metal —
or rather, subdivided
into orderly
impenetrable holes,
as in a physics
textbook account
of the structure of matter.
Chalk lines on a blackboard,
rows of blank faces
at their desks.
But it was right there –
the spider,
the phoebe,
the rattle of wings.
Via Negativa’s first book-spawn!

Order from the press or Contact me for a signed copy or to barter for your own book. Central PA residents can buy it at Webster's.-
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wonderful
That’s a jewel of a poem, Dave! Thanks!
Wonderful telling using two of my own favorite subjects (spiders and birds) and one not (physics). Baffled, indeed.