the shadow side

a bonus poem for October

the shadow side

in the corner
lurks 
a spider.

it languorously lingers,
lives for death
   —the slow, methodical kind. 
its many eyes gaze 
like that of a spectre, 

unseeing in the midst of its snare,
anticipating a feast of life.
darkness waits
in the silken webs of my mind.
its presence a surety,

like gravity or the waning moon.
the shadow bides its time
and inches in thoughtfully
towards its prey,
undeterred by my pleas

for light.
trapped in this familiar gloom,
my body hungers
for the scarlet glow 
of morning; 

my soul groans
   —how long;
   —how long? 
at last, with the rising
warmth of dawn,

my tormentor
retreats, 
settles in,
sated
from its latest hunt.

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhale—an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series "Haunted".