A Mariana Schackne Poem

The Spider on the Screen

“John”, I said
In a delirium of fever and painkillers
“There is a very large spider on my screen.
He has been there for three days.”
Or so I thought. I was, after all,
Not quite myself.
“Where?” John asked.
“Up there. In the upper right corner”, I said
Proud that I could be so coherent.
“Oh, cool!” was his response.
“No”, I said. “Not cool. He has been there for three days
Staring at me."
“He is a she”, John said.
“Oh.”
John knows these things,
And I am proud of that.
“Well”, said I, “would you do –
Would you do something with her, please?”
We both knew what I meant.
We have opposing views on spiders.
“She’s on the outside of the screen”, he pointed out reasonably.
“Oh”, I said
And went back into my fog.


(2014)