Lately, I have been experiencing some dulling of my thought processes and memories, (ah, the joys of menopause!) and it started me thinking on the horrors of dementia.
(Not written to Prompt this week. What was it?...I can't remember.....)
I know there’s a spider
that's living inside me.
He's buried in my cerebrum,
contented and busy.
He must have got in there
on some nocturnal mission,
climbed in through an orifice,
while I was dreaming.
I can feel him digesting
my most precious memories,
while his long, bristly legs
dig in ever deeper.
As his abdomen swells
with my past and my passions,
I can sense satisfaction,
his work is successful.
Why won’t you believe me?
Can’t you hear the faint scrabbling?
Or the moist, whispered chewing
of my lost imagination?
Please, just give me a poison,
some pesticide tincture,
or with a small screwing bit,
drill down, piercing his thorax.
Still you let him reside there.
You think I’m just crazy.
But I know there’s a spider
that's living inside me.
Well it certainly hasn't affected your imagination yet, Cynthia! But I can understand your wanting to get rid of it, eugh!
ReplyDeleteA great fear poem! I don't blame you for this... having a mother that makes no sense at 94. Spider be damned! Crawl out one night! Very well written, Cynthia!
ReplyDeleteCynthia, this poem struck a chord of fear in me too...all too relevant at times. A spider yet? EEEWWWW...I can feel it.
ReplyDeleteI definitely will try to keep my imagination as long as possible. If I ever lose it, I will just imagine I have it still. LOL.
Ouch. That hit close to home. Very well imagined and very well written. So long as you keep writing poetry you will be OK.
ReplyDeleteYou go girl. I would have interpreted the spider as aging. I feel the same way when I can't remember what I was going to say. Darn that spider, I just forgot what I was going to write. So Cyn, your little eight legged possession has a cousin I believe in all of us. Good job of describing the critter. Hope you get it out of your system. I enjoyed visiting your cobweb.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
DH
Love this poem. The image of a spider living inside, devouring memories...perfect. Well thought out, good progression.
ReplyDeleteThe image of the spider kind of scares me, =). Great piece here! An enjoyable read!
ReplyDelete-Weasel
Cynthia your imagination is quite vivid with this!Great work!
ReplyDeletePamela
This is a great take on those memories that seem to be disappearing for people who experience memory loss—
ReplyDeleteI can almost see the spider weaving his way around the memories. Wonderful poem.
A long time ago, I would never have read this poem because of the photo squatting above it. I have since made truce with these creatures and have even allowed them to play a role in my existence. I found your poem both creative and easily related to. Like your choice of words and your imagery.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth
Shivers. An absolutely superb image-full poem.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't help thinking of Ingmar Bergman's film Through a Glass Darkly, where a tormented character hallucinated God as a spider that crawled inside her. Different setting here, but still compelling and, appropriate to the title, makes me cringe a little.
ReplyDeleteI hope you get past the symptoms, Cynthia! Thanks for another great poem!
nice piece of mind Cynthia....thanks for sharing this
ReplyDeleteExcellent image!
ReplyDeletenow it is there, now it isn't
Ha! I hope this at least scares that spider away.
ReplyDeleteGlad you wrote & shared this, no matter to being off-prompt! Wonderful way to show the loss & aggravating fear.
Cynthia, This is a wonderful piece, the spider grabbed me by the neck and did not let go. Well executed cadence. I love it!
ReplyDelete~Brenda