Spiders didn't always build webs. They used to live under leaves or piles of twigs. But one spider in particular was not content with her home. She wanted a safe path to see the world. Every time she tried to step outside, her feet would be blown out from under her. "I need something sticky to secure me," she thought. She stuck sap to her legs and began her journey across a narrow piece of bark. However, not far from her home, the wood gave way under her and she tumbled to the ground. Unharmed and undeterred, she turned back the way she came and starting planning once more."I need something more sturdy," she said. As she crawled back into her home, she remembered the silk that mother spiders use to protect their young. "It's sticky enough to stay put, and sturdy enough to hold the eggs." She began to gently weave her own silk, and lay it out in front of her. After many days of work, she had developed several delicate paths that she could venture with ease. The spider could travel wherever she wanted, and she could always rely on the strings to keep her safe and lead her back home.

Out on the land in a time now long gone

animals spoke not with talons, but tongues;

civil in nature and patient to boot,

reached their apogee, having taken root.

Trickier mammals would baffle them all.

They weren't immune to answering the call:

pranking and stealing, malevolent stuff.

Yowling and prowling and giving a cuff.

The raccoon sported a mask on her face,

Shielding identity, a saving grace.

Ever self-righteous as she claimed no part

of recking sheer havoc. She played it smart.

She just didn't see how clear her deeds were.

No one was fooled by her mood lackluster.

The fish that she took and the food she stole:

blood on her hands, not metaphorical.

Fie! From that time, the old habits die hard.

You see her slink still, all about the yard,

with hands, so dainty, so blood-stained and streaked.

That's WHY she washes her food in the creek!

Shape-shifter's

sauntering

sway seems cruel

until I

see her victim.

The man she

eviscerated,

her abuser.