Spiders!

Would you hold a tarantula

On your upturned palm

And watch it creep up your arm

While you stayed cool and calm?

You might be able to do it,

Or at least be willing to try.

Not for a billion dollars!

No, no, no…not I!

In some parts of the world

Tarantulas are a snack.

Could you eat one without

Having a heart attack?

They're roasted on a stick

And eaten with gusto and glee.

That might be something you'd like;

It's NOT my cup of tea.

Tell me: why do spiders

Send shivers down my spine?

Only some are dangerous;

Most of them are benign.

I mean, in CHARLOTTE’S WEB

I have to admit that I cried

When--SPOILER ALERT!--

The poor spider died.

Although in my garden they eat

Flies and other critters,

Despite their usefulness,

They STILL give me the jitters.

Maybe some spider jokes

Would make them less of an irk:

A spider walked into a bar…

No, that doesn't work.

I have to see spiders as simply

Mysterious creatures of nature.

My fears, however, are real

And not about nomenclature.

I can try to stay calm

In the future whenever I meet one.

But I can tell you right now:

I will not HOLD or EAT one!

By Bob B (3-23-15)