Spider

SPIDER



I love to go fishing where the land meets the sea,

I have one particular spot that is familiar to me.

I set up my tent as my makeshift home,

suddenly I realize that I'm not alone.

I see a lone spider working feverishly,

doing almost exactly the same thing as me,

Constructing his temporary home for the night,

we both are preparing for our first bite.

He builds his shelter from fine silken web,

I set my tent where the tide starts to ebb.

He sets up a trap for his next meal,

creating a net much stronger than steel.

My trap is made from a hook and some bait,

I cast my line and we both sit and wait.

We bask in the sun as the light becomes dimmer,

both of our lines starting to shimmer.

We wait and we watch with baited breath,

As I ponder the cycle of life and of death.

Both of us predators catching prey to survive,

hunger is fueling our passion and drive.

Our tactics are the same as we both sit and stare,

patience is the virtue we must now share.

Within minutes stray bugs head straight for his lair,

will this be the meal that his hard work will snare?

Without any commotion, his plan is in motion

while I still await my meal from the ocean.

The spider sits back as a cricket gets stuck,

his trap is successful thanks to planning and luck.

My trap is clearly not as refined,

so much for technology devised by mankind.

By the time I re-bait and tend to my hook,

the spider is feasting, with no need to cook.

As I wonder about what I will eat,

a wayward beetle makes his meal complete.

I realize we both set out with the same end goal in mind,

but the spider is more skillful and leaves me behind.

I collect my tools, pack my bags and start to vacate.

I'm tired, I'm hungry, I'm cold and it's late.

And as I lug my heavy bags back to the car,

I realize that compared to my friend we really haven't come far.